


Wishing on Ahamkara Bones

by Celestial Masquerade (Jezzaanne)



Series: Ahamkara's Wish [1]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Ahamkara, Angst, Battle of Twilight Gap, Blood and Injury, Canon-Typical Violence, Death, Deviates From Canon, Explicit Language, F/M, Friendship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Original Character(s), Wish Fulfillment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 29,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26247925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jezzaanne/pseuds/Celestial%20Masquerade
Summary: Plucked from an old grave in Old London, Divaria is thrust into a chaotic second life where humanity is on the brink of extinction. Her only directions is a lonely road as a vessel of light and to protect those in the Last City from the looming threat of the dangerous Fallen. As a Guardian, Divaria is haunted by mementos of the past. As her journey begins as a Hunter, she is thrown in a rough and dangerous crew with Cayde-6. Shadows and memories of the Fallen continually haunt Divaria, and the key to her past lay with the alien species, and her only wish is to understand them better.
Series: Ahamkara's Wish [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1906780
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	1. The Guardian of Old London

**Author's Note:**

> This is purely a self indulgent story that I have been writing to cope with a crippling anxiety disorder. This story vaguely follows canon story lines, but may deviate here and there to suit the story pacing. This story will delve into what I believe could happen to Guardian's in the Destiny universe. If severe mental illness, harm and violence is a trigger, this is a warning here to step out if you need to.
> 
> I love the game, and I love the characters and the story. So this is my take on my OC Guardian's and their characters. 
> 
> Enjoy.

She had been floating in a perpetual state of light and darkness for as long as she could remember. There was a sharp zap of light that illuminated her bubble. For the first time, she felt an intense, stinging sensation that engulfed her senses and a blinding white that burned her eyes.

_ Pain _ .

The Guardian burst from the snow with a ragged gasp, her face filled with blood. The red flushing her cheeks, she clawed at the ice and snow surrounding her, scrambling from the icy hole in the ground that had been her last resting place.

An icy gale swept around her as the Guardian struggled from the compacted earth, pulling her legs from the ice and groaning as new senses roared to life, combating the pain. It was windy, and it was cold. She wore the dirty remains of old cotton clothes, rusted steel pauldrons and kneepads. An old leather satchel hung at her side, the leather strap rusted into the shoulder of her shoulders.

“It worked!” A voice chirped from above the bedraggled Guardian. “I can’t believe it. I actually did it.”

A small object whizzed around the already exhausted Guardian, little beeping and chirping coming from a faded green shell. It’s one bright blue eye blinked at her quizzically, beaming a bright blue light, scanning her.

“I can’t believe you’re finally here” it said in a bright, but gentle masculine voice. “I’ve been looking for you for so long.”

“What are-...” The newly resurrected Guardian shied away from the unfamiliar object, her eyes widening in fear. “What have you done to me?”

The level of fear and uncertainty was fairly common amongst the newly resurrected, but what was supposed to be a moment of bonding and explanation was quickly interrupted as the ice behind the pair exploded outwards, sending a plume of ice and snow high into the air.

Already spooked by the wash of new emotions and feelings, the Guardian scrambled up as shrieking and hissing came from the icy overgrowth. The sleek, glowing skulls of a strange monster illuminated in the light, their silhouettes framed against the green foliage.

Through the half shattered remains of a helmet, the Guardian saw a swarm of black come tumbling out of the ice in a wave. They were coming right towards her, jowls agape and dripping with fluorescent liquid. 

She turned tail and started to run over the rocky crevasses, her fear spurring her tired body into overdrive, fleeing the incoming danger of getting caught and eaten. It was certainly not what she wanted to be confronted with right now.

“I’ll explain everything once we get away from this” the strange voice was no longer beside her, the small spiky ball gone, his voice speaking from inside her head, loud and clear. The Guardian felt a wash of vertigo from the new presence, stumbling once more.

“My head isn’t big enough for two” she said, shrieking in hysterics, “What have you done?”

“Just run!” was the voice’s adamant command.

Escaping the swarm, the Guardian grew more confident with each step. Leaping over rocks and gaping crevasses that were crumbling open beneath. She felt a renewed sense of vigour warm her body, starting in her core and spreading downwards to her legs. 

It started to warm, growing hot. The Guardian’s gait quickened, escaping the outreached claws of the horde on her heels and getting ahead. 

The wind whipped at her ragged clothing, her large satchel clunking noisily against the remains of her metal armour. If they managed to escape the horde of monsters, the Guardian would succumb to hypothermia if they didn’t find shelter and safety fast.

More energy pooled in her feet, the Guardian felt the strength built in her legs, instinct urging her to run and to jump. A large opening gaped open ahead of her, she had a fleeting thought to stop at the edge, but her instinct made her leap.

She crashed through the ice bank, sliding down the slippery slope and crash landing below. The Guardian cried out as her leg snapped beneath her weight, she clutched her leg in pain but looked up warily as the small, dark creatures growled above, not willing to jump off the cliff as she had done.

Safe for the moment, the Guardian turned back to her leg, her knuckles white as she grabbed her calf, where the bone was poking through the skin. Warm trails of blood were slick as it flowed down her hands, leaving wet trails of warmth before it froze on her skin.

She cried out in pain and surprise at the extent of her injury, shock enveloping her. There was no way she would be able to keep on running when the monsters eventually reached them. She was already doomed.

“Hey, it’s ok” the voice inside her head soothed, “I’ll fix that for you.”

A warm blue light illuminated beneath the Guardian’s skin, the aches and pain melting away from her body. The pain from the broken bone washed away and got left with a numb feeling as the spiked object once again, manifested from a sparkle of blue light. 

The Guardian held her breath in anticipation, watching as the object beamed a line of light over her before the shell split apart and a burst of warm light temporarily blinded her.. There was a tug inside her leg before the numb feeling dissipated.

As she got her eyesight back, the Guardian let go of her leg with a gasp of surprise when she drew back her blood-stained hands. The bone was no longer sticking from the skin, the blood the only indication that she was wounded in the first place. 

Instead of being relieved, she curled away from the small object in fear. Grey eyes wide in surprise and glassy with unshed tears. 

“What are you?” she shouted, her tone accusatory. 

The Guardian seemed more afraid of this bizarre little creature than the screeching monsters above, and her weariness was seemingly wearing on it. His voice became a little more urgent as he zoomed around her.

“I’m a Ghost” he explained, “I’m here to protect you,  _ not  _ hurt you. We don’t have much time, and I can’t explain it all until we get to safety. We need to escape  _ those _ .”

“A ghost?” the Guardian leered, “What are  _ you  _ going to do against  _ them _ ? Bit small, don’t you think?”

“It’s what I am to you!” the Ghost jeered back, chirping in surprise at the Guardian’s hostility. “I help  _ you  _ fight  _ them.” _

“Me?” the Guardian squawked, her expression turning into one of shock and surprise “How!”

The Ghost floated close to her once more, and the Guardian pulled away from him, her face a myriad of expressions, twisted and wary most prominent. 

“I am not going to fight monsters” she grumbled, shivering against the cold. “I don’t even know  _ who  _ or  _ what  _ I am and where I am?” she groaned, closing her eyes fighting a wave of vertigo, “I feel like I’m going to be sick.” She gripped either side of her head, the steel band around her neck, freezing her fingers. Her hands steadily paling and losing colour the colder she got. 

“You’re going to die of hypothermia if we don’t find shelter” the Ghost quipped, unable to sit still and floating around the Guardian’s head with assortments of whirs and chirps. “Now I suggest you stop arguing with me and accept my help. You’re a Guardian now, and it’ll do you well to listen to what I have to say.”

“Come on” the Ghost urged her to her feet, “We’re in the remains of Old London, its old Devil territory. Those coupled with those monsters that chased us, we need to stay hidden and stay safe until we reach the last City.”

The Guardian got to her feet, her knees trembling with the cold. She wrapped her arms around her chest, the relics of her past life, almost falling off her thin, pale limbs. Travelling slowly, the Ghost urged his Guardian on, reaching an abandoned, decayed building in the middle of the old City.

Once out of the bitter cold, the new Guardian fell against the wall and tried to squeeze some life back into her frozen hands. She was utterly exhausted, and vertigo was threatening to make her vomit. It was the most hectic several hours she’d experienced in her second life. 

The Ghost coalesced from sparkles of blue light, his large eye blinked and shuttered several times then opened the steel petals of his worn shell, warm blue light exuded from him and chased away the cold in the Guardian’s hands and fingers.

“For something as tiny as you are, you’re quite useful” the Guardian murmured as her body began to function, the warmth given by the shell filling her body and unlocking her frozen joints. It was still cold, but they were sheltered. They had a fighting chance. 

“It's not all I can do” the Ghost said, drawing back and watching the Guardian, still fascinated by her arrival. “I’m your Ghost, I am your link to the Traveler, to the Light.” He expanded his shell again, and from the blinding blue light, a small bag manifested at the Guardian’s feet.

She sat forward, her metal plating grinding and clattering noisily. The Ghost hovered over her shoulder, and the Guardian rummaged through the small pack. 

“It’s only bare essentials” he said, scanning the small bag. “Resources are scarce, even more since the Fallen keep attacking the last City. The Vanguard will take any Guardian they can to fight them off.”

The Guardian rummaged through the bag and pulled out a leather tunic, thumbing over the coarse texture with her thumb. The gear was better than the rags and rusted plates she was wearing. It would provide better protection from the cold. It was better than nothing.

It’s only leather gear” the Ghost offered as the Guardian pulled out each piece, placing them in her lap. Grey eyes went wide when she pulled a hand cannon from the bag, flipping it over in her hands. 

_ ‘To fight monsters.’ _

An involuntary shiver went down her spine, gulping as she put the gun on the pile of clothing. The enormity of the situation she got thrust into was a crushing weight on her shoulders. This tiny, bossy  _ thing  _ that had pushed her into a reality full of danger.

“Forgive me” the Ghost scanned the long leather tunic, “I always had a feeling that when I eventually found my Guardian that they’d be a Warlock. Guess I was wrong, I should have prepared a little better.”

The one bright eye turned up to the Guardian as she began to pull the steel rim around her neck. “You sound disappointed” she strained against the lock, unhinging it and pulling it away from her. “I have no idea what you mean by Warlock, but I’m just going to go with it. It’s the most bizarre feeling.”

The old trinkets and objects clattered to the ground around her as she changed her clothing. The Ghost chirped once more, always floating close to her, investigating and scanning. It was almost as if he were fascinated by her existence. 

“Never disappointed” the Ghost admitted, his eye blinked with a small shuttering sound, “Seeing how fast and dextrous you were, I think you’d be more suited for a Hunter role. It’s a pleasant surprise. I believe you can do great things as a Guardian.”

“You think so?” her eyes lifted to the Ghost, a glimmer of a small crossing her face for the first time since she had been born.

“I know” the Ghost assured in a gentle voice, chirping once more.

The Guardian changed her clothes, feeling better now that she was covered. She pulled her fingers into the gloves, holding her hands out in front of her before looking back to the metal pauldrons she was wearing just before. 

There was a swirling pattern on one, splattered with patterns and strikes. The Guardian grabbed it and held it up, the Ghost shining a light on it so they could both inspect the symbol. 

“That looks like a Fallen insignia” Ghost murmured, “It must be the remnants of their armour. Interesting that I found you wearing their gear.”

“The Fallen?” the Guardian questioned, lowering the marked pauldrons and grabbing the bag she had been wearing, peeling open the decaying flap and seeing what was inside. The smell was almost unbearable.

“One of humanity’s mortal enemies” the Ghost explained, “Aliens that came from beyond our Solar System. They’re a race of pillaging pirates, cruel and bloodthirsty. You’ll be coming up against them in your travels as a Guardian.”

“Well whatever I did back in my first life, seemed to be a lot about the Fallen” the Guardian withdrew several devices, long rendered useless. She placed them beside her and pulled out more treated leather purses with yellowed pages inside, scrawled with more Fallen symbols, written in their language.

“I have absolutely no idea what this is supposed to say” the Guardian said, shrugging her shoulders and gently placing the paper back inside. “Feels like it’s on the tip of my tongue, but there’s nothing.”

“Let’s not worry about it” the Ghost said, “These are remnants of an old life. You are not this person anymore. You are a Guardian of the Light now.  _ My  _ Guardian,” he was excited and proud of the statement.

“We’ll keep it” the Guardian said, shoving all the armour and gadgets inside the bag her Ghost had given her. It was newer, tougher than the decayed mess she wore when she came out of the grave. “Never know, it might come in handy one day. Could be information.”

The Ghost agreed, there was nothing wrong with pages of Fallen symbols and a couple of defunct gadgets. Anything to help his Guardian acclimate to her new situation, he was going to do. 


	2. Arrival in the Last City

“A Hunter?”

The young Guardian drew back, arms folded across her chest as the silver helmet loomed close to her face. Long lines of purple lit up as he inspected her curiously, his hand dressed in thick leather as he pushed back her forehead to examine her face. 

“Where did you find this one little ghost?” The armoured man spoke with a thick, rolling russian accent. It was rough but yet gentle at the same time. It was hard to see where he was looking since the domed helmet he was wearing obscured his whole head, whether he was looking at her or the Ghost.

The Guardian stared up at him, newly resurrected but her face pale, gaunt and large purple rings around her eyes. She saw her face on the other side of the Titan’s datapad, her little known information blinking next to the portrait of her face. Tiny, pale and with a wild mop of woolly white hair. The picture flickered to the broad steel band that had encapsulated her head, Divinity blinking on the screen as he tapped it away. 

He looked up to the newly bonded pair. “My name is Saint-14” he said, his accent hard to decipher and understand. “I’m here to meet new Guardian’s and take you to the Tower. Tell me, where did your little Ghost find you?” 

“I found her in Old London,” the Ghost spoke, whirring and chirping to the large person towering in front of them. “We had our first brush with some questionable creatures.” Then he turned back to his frightened Guardian, her arms wrapped firmly around her chest, her eyes lowering to her feet. 

Saint lowered the datapad and stared down at the tiny human in front of him, seemingly so small and defenceless. Saint reached out and put a hand on top of the Guardian’s head. He startled her to look back up at him. 

“You will do great things” he assured her, “You are a Guardian now, and you fight for the Light and the City. Together, we are strong.”

He turned his head slightly regarding the bright-eyed Ghost. “Send word for Andal Brask,” the Titan announced, “Or anybody in his scouting team. You are to be put to work immediately. Come, my little Divaria,” Saint withdrew his hand, and the Guardian stared after him with wide eyes.

Saint furthered the gap between them and the Guardian made her mind up to run after him, hiding in his shadow at the curious glances sent her way in the hall. It was the image of a parent holding the hand of their child.

They approached the meeting Hall, and a person broke away from the other Guardians, a gawky looking human with grease marks on his face and stubble on his chin. He clapped his hands together at the sight of Divaria, rubbing them together and standing in front of Saint.

“What do we have here?” he asked, peeking past Saint and to the small Hunter hiding in the Titan’s shadow. “Aren’t you a small one?” The man laughed as the blonde-haired Guardian gave him a lethal, grey-eyed stare at the comment, admiring the sudden fire that lit inside her.

“Don’t antagonise her, Andal” Saint chastised, he lifted his arm and ushered the new Hunter forward. Putting his hand on her shoulder and forcing her to stand closer to the man, Andal got introduced. 

“You gotta name?” Andal asked. 

The Guardian balked and clenched her hands into fists at the question. All rational thought fled her mind at the direct and simple question. Her Ghost chirped and twirled his shell, and she nodded, and let her hands loose.

“It’s Divaria” she said, noticing the small turn of Saint’s head at her sincere statement, choosing the name that he called her only minutes before. She would need to thank him later. 

“Well Divaria” Andal grinned, revealing a line of slightly crooked teeth, “Welcome aboard, let’s get you fixed up. I’m sure I have plenty of work for you to do around here. Come with me.” He waved Divaria away from Saint, who bade them farewell. 

Divaria watched the Titan leave, then looked back to Andal as he clapped her on the shoulder. “I hope you’re a people person” he said, “Cause you’ll be seeing a lot of them today. Let’s get going.”

The rest of the day moved incredibly fast for Divaria, who mostly followed Andal around the Tower, gazing at everyone like a bewildered puppy. True to Andal’s word, Divaria met many people, so many that their faces blurred together and Divaria promptly forgot their names as soon as they introduced themselves.

The afternoon melted into night and Andal gave Divaria the key to her room in the Hunter barracks. It was standardised housing for the greater Guardian populace. It was a roof over her head, that’s all they needed. 

Divaria stared into the room after Andal left. Her smile slipped and turned down at the sadness that sat in front of her. The room was no larger than a closet, one tiny washbasin and bathroom—a chest of drawers and a hammock hanging from the ceiling in the corner.

Divaria rubbed her hands together and closed the door behind her, a tiny light flickering to life above the door frame. “Home sweet home” she muttered, sliding out of her boots and climbing into her hammock. 

Divaria lifted a foot and kicked off the wall and began to swing herself back and forth in a calming rocking sensation. “I can’t believe how fast the day moved” Divaria stared at the dark steel roof above her as she swung in a hammock. “What a crazy day.”

“You haven’t seen anything,” the Ghost chittered, resting on her hair splayed from her head. “I’m certain Andal has more planned for you, you’ll be meeting a lot more Hunters as well.”

They swung in silence for a few minutes, and Divaria turned her head slightly, glancing at the peculiar little machine beside her. 

“Saint-14 is nice though” she commented, and once again Ghost chirped, and his bright blue eye illuminated the room. 

“He is a very kind Guardian” he agreed, “He is devoted to protecting the Guardians and the City. He’s a legend, and everyone looks up to him, especially after the fight at the Battle of Six Fronts.”

“I’d do my best to not get him angry with me” Divaria chuckled, “He did give me my name, after all, the best I can do is listen and do what I’m told.” 

“You’ll be working for Andal now,” Ghost murmured, “You might not see Saint as much anymore. But we’ll see.”

* * *

Andal met her in the Tower early the next morning. He held up a hand in greeting as Divaria admired the beauty of her surroundings. Large flags towered above her, the proud insignia’s of the Guardian Divisions emblazoned them, flowing proudly over the City. 

“Hope you got at least a wink of sleep” Andal said, joking and chuckling as Divaria approached him, her face pale and her smile nervous. “Us Hunters never sleep real well, something you’ll get used to. Eventually.”

Andal was a kind man; he held out his arm and gestured to Divaria to walk beside him. Together they walked through the Tower, and Andal was more than happy to point out the different shop fronts, businesses and stalls. 

“Guardian’s get basic care up here” he explained as they wandered through the Plaza, the gleaming white pillars surrounding them, coloured with flags and art. “We have the option of staying in the Barracks. Each Division has its Section. Titan’s, Warlocks and Hunters.” 

Divaria watched a crowd of Guardian’s pass them, a group of friends laughing amongst each other, chastising one of them for not paying up with his glimmer. Andal watched them as well with a small smile and chuckled when Divaria looked back to him, her expression bewildered. 

“We use glimmer as currency” he explained, “The more glimmer you have, the better things you can buy up here. You can buy better food, cause admittedly, the cafeteria sucks. You can buy homes, condos or apartments than sharing the barracks with hundreds of dirty Guardian’s.”

“Right” Divaria chuckled, “So collect that to advance from the bottom rung.”

Her answer amused Andal, and he clapped her on the shoulder, urging her forward. “You’re a Hunter” he said, “You’ll come to learn very fast that we are bad with our glimmer. The call and the temptation of making bets always loom over our heads, you can always strike it big if you call the right shots.”

“You’ll meet one of my friends” Andal said, “Great guy, terrible better. Never let him make bets with you, he’ll swindle you for everything you’re worth. I think you’ll like him though, great sense of humour.”

The Hunters paused and looked up as a ship rumbled over the City, and Andal began to laugh at the sight. “Guess that’s them now” he announced, looking over his shoulder and at Divaria. “Hope you have your wits about you” he said, “You’re about to meet the other guys in my team.”

Andal gestured Divaria forward, and they moved through the bustling Tower, a large sign hung above them, directing Guardians to the large subspaces littered around the area. Andal pointed up at it. 

“Hangar One” he announced, “Big, head honcho’s park their Ships down there” he said, “Saint, Osiris, those kinds of guys. Grunts like us park further down the wall, I think they’ll be landing around Sector 5. Come on, we’re in for a hike.”

“I don’t even have a ship,” Divaria said, looking to the sky and seeing several more fly overhead, awaiting clearance to land in the large hangars situated across the wall. “Doubt I’ll ever get one to be honest.”

“Don’t worry, a lot of Guardian’s don’t have one” Andal said as they descended the stairs. “One of the things you can acquire if you have money, or if you’re a hero. Which we’re far from. Just gotta get lucky to have a crew member that has one. Which we happen to have.”

They walked through the numerous Hangars, large signs directing them where they needed to be. Divaria counted off the signs.  _ Sectors 1-3, Sector 4-7 _ ,  _ Sector 8-11 _ . There were lines upon lines of them, all filled with an assortment of colourful and unique looking jumpships.

“Here they are” Andal held out his hands to a large green ship, noticeably faded in several parts but still functional. The engines powered down and a ramp extended from the belly of the vessel. Two figures were descending and greeting Andal with exuberance. 

“How’d the mission go?” Andal asked, “You idiots left me to do all the paperwork and deal with the Vanguard. Hope you snagged something worthwhile.”

“That was all part of the plan” a man descended, wearing a black cape, his hood obscuring most of his face. “No way I’m getting caught up writing all the paperwork, let a sucker like you take a fall like that. I think you’d be pretty impressed with what we managed to glean.”

The pair chuckled and laughed, and Andal stepped back, flourishing an arm behind him and gesturing Divaria forward. “Got someone I’d like you to meet” he said, “Guys, meet Divaria.”

“How is this possible?” The man said, “I leave you in the Tower for a week, and the Vanguard drops a personal assistant right in your lap? I didn’t leave you with that much paperwork, jeez, how much did you cry?”

Divaria stepped back with surprise when the men approached her, her eyes wide with realisation. The other two men were robots, real robots with metal skin and computer-like eyes. They were nothing like the frames she’d seen, but it was still the first time she’d seen them.

“You guys are robots?” She exclaimed in shock, looking back to Andal with surprise. “You didn’t tell me that.”

Andal waved his hands, trying to get her to quieten down, and the man that initially spoke pointed the finger at Divaria. “I’d calm your horses if I were you” he warned, “Comin’ off as pretty ignorant. You’re pretty and all, but an attitude like that won’t get you far with people like us.”

“Where’d you find this pipsqueak?” The second man scowled, his eyes gleaming in distaste at Divaria. “Comments and all.”

“Guys, give me a chance to explain” Andal said, scratching the stubble on his chin and turning towards Divaria. “I shoulda explained earlier” he said, “This is Cayde-6” he pointed to the man in the black cape with blue steel skin, “Mr yellow back there is Shiro-4. They’re Exo’s, and frankly, some of the best men I’ve ever worked with.”

“Exo’s” Divaria said, looking back at the men feeling like an idiot. Her ignorance ruined her first impression, and now, she felt awful for calling them robots. 

“I’m sorry” Divaria blurted out, “I’m new here, the second day on the job. I didn’t mean to come off as so rude. Please forgive me.” She briefly wondered whether she should bow or not, but Cayde held up a hand, stopping her. 

“Second day?” He questioned, looking back and forth between Divaria and Andal. “You’re  _ not  _ a PA?” His blue optics narrowed in on Divaria, finally moving up when her Ghost manifested above her shoulder, greeting them.

“Divaria is a recruit” Andal said with an awkward chuckle, “Saint kinda dropped her in my lap yesterday and gave me a strong hint that he wanted me to take her in. Seems like he’s fond of this one.”

“You’re a tiny little thing aren’t you” Cayde came out with a blunt comment. Evidently, there was no filter between his head and his mouth. He looked back to Andal and folded his arms across his armoured chest. “You sure she won’t break? She looks so  _ fragile. _ ”

“I’m right here” Divaria scowled, unamused that Cayde spoke about her so nonchalantly. At the same time, she was standing right in front of him, nonetheless. She sneered at him, and Cayde’s optics lit up with amusement at the display of defiance from Divaria. 

“Loving the attitude” he said, praising her now. He unfolded his arms and pointed an enthusiastic finger to her. “That’s a look I like. Hooked a feisty one Andal? Is that why Saint dropped her off to us?”

“I’m not sure why” Andal said, watching the interaction as Cayde stepped forward and held out a hand in welcome, shaking Divaria’s hand and giving her a once over, his faceplates turned up at the tacky, leather armour she wore. 

“But I’m not about to go defying orders from Saint, he’s the boss around here. Must be a good reason why he wants us to work with her.”

As they spoke, Divaria drew back her hand and gazed at Cayde with utter bewilderment. Cayde’s hand was warm. It felt like Divaria had shaken the hand of a human. She was going to do some more research when it concerned the Exo’s. 

“What?” Shiro lifted his head from his datapad at Andal’s statement, his face turning down into an evident scowl of disgust. “Why are we getting saddled with teaching the rookie? No offence, but I don’t want to be taking out the fledglings Saint decides to like.”

His eyes locked with Divaria just as she opened her mouth to protest, but Shiro shut her down pretty quick. His voice was disgusted and unamused. “You’ll just drag us down” he said to her directly, “One step out in the wilderlands and you’re gone. We just lost Nian, and Lush is grieving the loss of his Ghost. I’m not doing this again with someone else.”

“Aw c’mon Shiro” Cayde said, reaching out and putting a hand on Divaria’s head, affectionately ruffling her hair, purposefully messing it up, so it puffed out and curled around her head. “Look at her, such a cute and adorable little face. Let’s keep her.”

“You have no filter, do you?” Divaria pulled herself away and tried to smooth down her now wild hair and failed. “I’m not a pet. Yes, I’m new, but I’m not useless. So you can stop talking about me like I’m not here, arseholes.”

“Ooh, I definitely wanna keep her, you got zeal girl, I like it,” Cayde said, joking and clutching the dismayed Divaria to his side. 

Andal sighed, fighting and arguing was a common occurrence between his crew. Divaria was going to be a hot topic for weeks; he could see it already. 

“Just going to get in the way” Shiro said, muttering down at his datapad. Angry that their crew got chosen to harbour the new girl. Teaching was not the Crews forte, and Cayde was already having fun antagonising Divaria. 

“Don’t worry about him” Cayde slung an arm around Divaria and leered are Shiro, “He’s just a dick.”

Andal audibly sighed, and Shiro’s fingers clenched his datapad but refused to give Cayde the time of day with a sharp rebuttal. To get into an argument with Cayde-6 meant you’d already lost, there was no arguing with an idiot.

“Let’s get unloaded” Andal suggested, peeling Divaria away from Cayde and partially hiding her behind him from the now overly friendly Exo. “Got a ton of work to do, luckily for you Cayde, I’ve left some for you to finish. Saint’s expecting it at the end of the day.”

“Motherf-...” Cayde swung a hand at Andal and trudged back towards the ship, his Ghost starting to manifest large caches into a designated transmit zone. There was a lot that needed to get done.

“Don’t take Cayde seriously” Andal said, warning Divaria about his friend. “He’s a good guy, but take what he says and does with a grain of salt. He’s a serial flirt, he’ll charm the pants right off of you, and you’ll be regretting it come morning.”

“Screw off Andal” Cayde shouted from the ship, “I can hear you. Let the lady make her own damn decisions, alright. Get your arse over here and help me with some of this offloading.”

Andal rolled his gaze back to Divaria. They shared a shrug and a laugh. Andal moved forward and began to help offload the caches from the ship. They talked and joked, and Divaria walked forward, admiring the jump ship.

“Don’t get comfortable, rookie” Shiro-4 looked up from the datapad. His eyes gleamed from the shadows, zooming in and focusing on Divaria as she passed. They stared at each other for a long moment, and Shiro watched her expressionless.

“We do dangerous work out in the wilds. Guardians  _ die  _ out there, lost their Ghosts. Just because you’ve been dumped on us by Saint-14, doesn’t mean you can think all will be fine and peachy. We’re going to contest this, I’m not having another stupid, naive Guardian, dying on my watch.”

“Contest all you want” Divaria argued back, sending a glance to Cayde and Andal still arguing at the ramp of the ship. Her eyes narrowed at Shiro, and he scowled back at her in response. 

“I got put here for a reason” she said, “I’m here to  _ learn _ . I’m not weak, and I won’t die. I will be the biggest thorn in your side, just you fucking watch. I’m going to make you regret being such a dick to me.”

“Go ahead” Shiro said, looking away and stepping from the towering boxes beside him. “You’ll be done soon enough. Just because the others like you, doesn’t mean I ever will.” Shiro left the seething Divaria behind, and she sent a vicious glance to her Ghost who was hovering silently over her shoulder. 

“I’m not weak,” she said, growling with vehemence. “I’ll learn the best I can and make sure I prove Shiro wrong. I’ll come stronger than he ever is, just wait and see.”


	3. First Job and the Vanguard Dare

“Here, I want you to have this.”

Divaria gazed up at Cayde as he extended the gift towards her, he put it in her hands and Divaria looked down, admiring the large, leather-bound book.

“Figured I’d give you something from us” he said, casually stepping back and gesturing to the book with a finger. “Being out on the road can lead to some pretty extraordinary adventures and experiences. I’ve found it easier to have a journal on me, helps me keep focus on the road I’m travelling down. Write in that every day, and keep sight of yourself kiddo.”

“Thanks” Divaria traced the leather cover and cracked open the front, admiring the blank page beneath. “I mean- thankyou Cayde. I appreciate the gesture. You’ve been too kind to me. You and Andal both.”

“It’s not every day our crew gets saddled with a recruit” Cayde said with a laugh, pulling Divaria forward and walking down to the exit of the barracks. “We’re pretty unorthodox with our techniques” he admitted, “But it gets the job done.  _ Somewhat _ .”

Cayde’s eyes focused on Divaria walking beside him, still admiring her first gift. “Saint’s going to regret putting you with us” he said with a tell-tale smirk. “I’ll have you in shape in no time. I’ll show you the true life of a Hunter. None of this leashed dog scenario.”

“You don’t work for the city?” Divaria asked, her interest piqued at the statement. She lowered the journal and kept close to Cayde as they passed more Hunters heading into the barracks with familiar greetings and catcalls.

“Oh we work for the City” Cayde said, “We’re still Guardian’s. But we get the luxury of  _ leaving _ . We explore those wilderlands, we find the treasure and fight the monsters. It’s all an exciting adventure waiting for us to discover. Better than rotting away up here, with your eyeballs falling out over stacks of datapads.”

They approached the top of the Tower and Cayde steered Divaria to the edge, leaning against the heavy-duty rails. Divaria stared out over the City, admiring the buildings in the distance. But when Cayde held out his hand, he didn’t gesture over their home. 

His finger was pointing out to the vast, snowy mountains that stretched out past the horizon. “That’s where we go,” he said, his face turning up into a smile. “To the mountains, across the oceans and past the stars. That’s the Hunter life, and you’ll learn to love it.”

Divaria’s eyes flickered from the mountains and up to the sky. Daylight hid the view of the cosmos above. The hairs at the back of her neck prickled as she thought of traversing the solar system, to fly amongst the stars. It was a thrilling feeling, and Cayde made it sound all the better.

“Morning, you two!”

With Cayde’s tale over, they looked over their shoulders at the welcoming voice. Andal held up his hand in greeting. He looked tired with dark bags under his eyes, hair dishevelled and his stubble spreading across his face.

Though he looked calm and happy, there was an anxious gleam in his eyes. Captured only briefly by Divaria as she turned around to wave at him. 

“See you’ve gotten to our rookie first, hey Cayde?” Andal said, his gaze going back and forth between the pair, making sure nothing had transpired between them. He was watching out for Divaria. 

“Just telling her about the life” Cayde said, resting against the rail with a knowing smirk. “Nothing to be concerned about, buddy ol’ pal. Little Divvy is going to be working with us now, just telling her how we work. Gave her a little gift as well.”

Andal’s gaze whipped back to Divaria and relaxed when he saw the journal in Divaria’s hands. A harmless gift, and a valuable tool of reflection if Divaria used it to its full potential. Cayde used his religiously. 

“Relax” Cayde said, amused by Andal’s anxiety over the new Guardian. “I’m not going to put her in a dangerous situation.  _ Yet _ .” He got off the rail, and both Andal and Divaria sent him a wide stare. 

“ _ What? _ ”

“Heading out on a small job,” Cayde said, jabbing a thumb towards the general vicinity of the Hangar. “Got some whispers of a small camp of Fallen, edging too close to the wall. Perfect job for little Divvy.”

“Don’t do anything stupid” Andal chastised his friend, “Otherwise you’ll be explaining yourself to Saint. I was the one that’s supposed to be looking out for her, if you-...” Andal rubbed his face again, and Cayde waved him off. 

“I’m sure we’ll be mostly fine,” he said, his words not precisely a source of comfort to Andal and Divaria. “Gotta learn somewhere, I’ll watch.”

“Yeah that’s what I’m worried about” Andal said, muttering to himself. “You stand there and watch as she does the work. I don’t think this is the greatest idea. It’s only been a couple of days and-...”

“Let me go!” Divaria said, bouncing in between her quarrelling friends. Her conversation with Shiro the afternoon before came to mind. Divaria wanted to prove herself and show the guys that she could be as strong as they were. She was a Guardian after all.

“That’s the spirit” Cayde announced, “C’mon, my ships waiting. Let’s have some fun. We’ll be back this afternoon.”

* * *

“You’re supposed to reload the pistol Divaria!” Cayde shouted from the tree as Divaria pushed back a snarling Fallen dreg. “C’mon, give it some more gusto!”

The dreg stumbled back from Divaria’s push, snarling and warbling at her as she fumbled with her confusing weapon, confused where she had to open it and put in her ammo. The enemy was swarming around her, more blue eyes blinking from the foliage, and she began to panic. 

“I-I can’t-” she cried, two dregs leaping at Divaria who dropped the old weapon to her feet and wrestled them back. Her fingers curled in the Fallen’s armour and pulled out several tubes, there was a hissing sound, and the dreg jumped back with a concerned sound, and its partner pulled against Divaria’s hood, its claws nicking the skin of her neck.

“Knives, Divvy” Cayde shouted, the following cannon shot echoing through the trees and the abandoned buildings. The Fallen were coming from the outcrop and attacking him as well. 

Divaria looked up and saw Cayde aim over his shoulder and shoot a dreg under the chin as it tried to grapple him. The bullet exited through the top of its head. Cayde didn’t even need to look over his shoulder, and the enemy was falling at his feet. 

Heeding his words, Divaria pulled her knife from its sheath on her pants. The one that she’d found in her bag when she was reborn back in London. She flicked it through her fingers and found a comfortable position to hold it. Divaria sliced the knife through the neck of the dreg, purple blood spurt across her armour and mask.

There was a long, gurgling sound as the body fell in a heap at her feet. Divaria threw the other dreg over her shoulder, kicking away the disused pistol and shoved the knife into the intricate tubing and wiring showing underneath the dregs red cape and damaged armour.

The dreg died instantly, but Divaria had to stab several more times just to make sure. The adrenaline was pulsing through her veins, and her purple coated hand was trembling as she drew back, looking at the corpses at her feet, their eyes no longer glowing.

Divaria dropped the large knife and tried to wipe the blood over the lens of her mask and only succeeded in smearing it further. She staggered back, trying to comprehend the cold-blooded murder she’d just committed against the alien species. 

“It’s ok” her Ghost whispered, his voice a comforting source inside her head. “This is our job to protect the City and the inhabitants that live there. The Fallen are our enemies, they’ll try to kill you if you don’t pull the trigger first.”

“Two dregs, not a bad start” Cayde kicked aside the bodies without another thought. “You do well with knives, where’d you get this one?” he picked up Divaria’s weapon and flicked the blood off it. 

“L-London” she said, her voice quivering with shocked emotion. 

Cayde nodded and admired the blade before handing it back to Divaria. He tread over the bodies of the small camp they had just ransacked. He’d killed the little Captain and the rest of the dregs in the time it took Divaria to kill two. 

“This, this doesn’t feel right” Divaria said, holding the blade in one hand and viewing the carnage around her. She had been reborn in clothes marked with Fallen insignia, letters written in their language and high tech devices that were theirs in her bag. Killing them left an unusual, sour taste in her mouth.

“You’re just surprised” the Ghost said, deeming it safe to manifest and float beside Divaria. “It’s your first job. It’s a little shocking for everyone. The more you fight, the easier it will become and the faster you’ll get used to it. I’ll keep you safe.”

Her Ghost was comforting her with hollow words. Divaria knelt and pushed the dead dreg on its back and inspected the intricate armour it wore around its head and neck. It was a network of tubing and Divaria drew back gagging at the unfamiliar, pungent scent that came from a slight dusting of purple across her fingertips.

“Sometimes the Fallen have interesting things on them or in the camp” Cayde said, picking up the body of a Captain and dropping it against a large boulder and inspecting the weapons and gear. “It’s mostly scrap though unless you’re an expert on their builds. They’re nothing but pillaging junkrats.”

Cayde tossed several knives and wicked claws to Divaria, landing in the dirt at her feet. She picked them up, and a surreal, familiar feeling washed through her, like warm water down her back. 

“See what we can do with them” Cayde grabbed several more things, and his Ghost scanned them away, glittering blue before it vanished before their eyes. The Hunters turned around and scanned the tiny, empty camp.

“Place is empty,” Cayde said, blowing back the frayed edge of his hood. “Either they were exiles or just heading out a new hunt. Guess they won’t be returning to base, teaches them the lesson not to come close to the City.”

Divaria held the weapons in her arms and sent a guilty glance to the carnage around her. A feeling deep in her stomach told her it was the wrong thing to do, but when she looked back up to Cayde. She desperately wanted him to like her and accept her as part of his Crew. If this was something, she had to do to feel accepted, Divaria was going to do it. No matter how awful of a state, it left her in afterwards. 

“C’mon” Cayde waved at Divaria to come forward, “Let’s head back to the City.”

Andal was gone from the Tower when they arrived, so Divaria spent the rest of the afternoon with Cayde. A little scorned that he simply kicked back in the Hangar while giving her the job of recording and writing out  _ his _ reports—the reports Andal had given him.

Cayde, Divaria learned, was  _ lazy _ . 

But despite that crucial and irritating flaw, Divaria liked him. Cayde made for good company and had a wealth of fascinating fables to tell, some were true, others were just out of the world.

When the sun started to set, Cayde packed up his jump ship, the Queen of Hearts. Divaria adjusted the stack of datapads neatly on a table then her Ghost transmitted them, reporting to Saint. Divaria was startled and looked up with surprise when Cayde pulled the chair out that she was sitting on.

“It’s knockoff time” he announced, sounding excited at the end of the day. “Let’s get out of this place. I got a place I wanna show you. Andal and Shiro will meet us there. It’s our home away from home, a hangout.”

Divaria quirked a brow and smirked at her new friend as he ushered her up. They waved goodbye to the flight engineers and the technicians, and left the Hangar and much to Divaria’s surprise, left the Tower and into the City below.

“This is the Humble District,” Cayde said as they descended the elevators and stairs. “It’s what I like to call a ‘Pop Up’ District. It moves with us when we extend or build on the wall. Nothing like the established districts down there.”

“I see?” Divaria said, looking up as a cat screeched, the shadow scampering down a seedy dark alley. The sun lowered behind the wall, and soon, they got plunged into darkness. Lanterns and lights lit up around them as they moved past the grimy stalls and shopfronts, it was shady.

“It’s a Hunters paradise” Cayde said, waving two fingers at several people in greeting. “Anything you need for a job, you’ll probably find it down here. For the right price that is, gotta keep your wits about you.”

Several guys crowded around a dirty stall, glimmer shining in the dim light as they placed bets over a bookie table, Andal’s warnings were making sense. Betting away glimmer and their paychecks were Hunter’s way of life. 

“Don’t knock it till you try,” Cayde said when he noticed Divaria’s look of distaste. “Can win some good stuff down here. Weapons, tech, armour and ships, it’s all down here. Play your cards right. I’ll teach you.”

The pair turned right down another alley, heading back towards the wall. Divaria looked up at her friend, Cayde almost melted into the darkness, the fluorescent orange lights the only defining feature of him that could be seen.

“Andal said not to take betting lessons from you,” she said, leering at him. Cayde laughed at her response and agreed with the sentiment. 

“He’s no better,” Cayde said, trying to defend himself somewhat. “Shiro’s probably the best with cards. His resting face is a poker face. He can pull it off the majority of the time. The guy never cracks a smile.”

Cayde stopped and held out a hand, stopping Divaria and held out a finger to the door in front of them. A fluorescent, flashing sign with  _ Rose  _ hung over their head, and Cayde opened the heavy glass door and into the darkness inside. 

“Best place in the entire City” Cayde said, pushing Divaria forward through the crowd of mostly Hunter Guardians. They broke away to the main building, the bar at the opposite end of the room and the hungering scent of food wafted past their noses.

Andal waved at them from a booth in the corner, and he grinned at Divaria as she and Cayde sat down. There were several pitchers of beer on the table already, surrounded by a scattering of shot glasses and bottles filled with clear spirits. Not long after their arrival, Shiro-4 came back with another pitcher and a tray of food. 

“Oh” he said, gazing at Divaria. “You’re here.”

Divaria decided that she didn’t like Shiro at that moment. He didn’t like her, and she saw no point trying to prove herself to him when she already had Cayde and Andal looking out for her. The pair sent a vicious stare to each other from across the table as Andal and Cayde spoke about the tiny camp raid and how Divaria took down some Fallen by herself. 

“Divvy’s got something that you might want to look at,” Cayde said after a short conversation with Andal. He gestured to Divaria, thrusting his jaw up and pointing to Shiro with his thumb. “Show him that fancy knife you used today.”

Divaria frowned, and Shiro scowled back at her as she slammed the knife on the table and slid it towards him. The Exo snatched it up with an irritated huff and held it in front of his face, inspecting it. 

“Div picked it up in London” Cayde explained, giving the details, so Divaria didn’t have to speak to the surly comrade. “It’s definitely Fallen, but it’s a build I haven’t seen before. Figured I’d let you have a look.”

Divaria didn’t tell them that it was on her person when she was reborn, but she felt oddly possessive over the weapon as Shiro admired the hilt and the slightly rusted blade beneath his fingers. 

“It’s not standard Fallen” he said, tracing the intricate spiralling of the hilt. “This is handmade with a lot of care. Where the hell did you find something like this? Certainly not something that would be found lying around in active Fallen territory.”

Divaria shrugged, picking off several morsels from the food tray and putting it in her mouth. “Found it in a building” she said, “Amongst bones and corpses and stuff, I was kinda worried and confused about everything. So I don’t remember the exact details.”

Shiro grunted and put the knife back on the table and slid it back to Divaria. “Take care of it then” he chastised her, “Otherwise I’ll take it and study the composition. A lot of love went into the crafting of that thing.”

Divaria took the knife back and held it tightly, conflicting her further about the details of her rebirth. Just who was she in her past life? Wearing and wielding the enemies gear and handcrafted weapons.

Andal changed the subject, feeling the dislike simmering beneath the surface between Divaria and Shiro. He asked Divaria about her afternoon, pouring himself a glass of beer and sliding the glass across to her and pouring another one for himself.

Andal promptly choked on his drink when Divaria told him that she’d spent the afternoon doing Cayde’s reports that he was supposed to hand in to Saint and the Vanguard. 

“She’s not your slave!” Andal scolded as Cayde sat back, shrugging casually. “I left that work for you to do. You’re the supposed leader of the Crew, so act like it. Saint’s not going to be happy that you made Div do it all.”

“She’ll be right,” Cayde said with a wave of his hand. “All part of the job, learning how to be a Guardian. Besides, Saint will be less inclined to shout at our newbie, he’ll let her get away with murder. So I’m good.”

“Wait? So you made me do all your work because you knew Saint wouldn’t get angry with me” Divaria said, her eyes narrowing. “He’s a good guy, and I don’t like that you’re exploiting his kindness.”

“Oh don’t get me wrong, Saint’s one hell of a Guardian and does his best. But the guy’s a knucklehead” Cayde said, “Bit of loose circuitry going up in here.” Cayde pointed a finger to his temple and made a swirling motion.

“That’s not nice” Divaria said, “Saint gave me my name, and he helped me out when I first arrived in the Tower. Tease him all you want, but I like him. He’s a good man.”

Cayde held up a hand and silenced her. “Never let him hear that” he said, his optics shining, “It’ll feed his ego even more. You’re a Hunter, and we stick with our own. Most Titans are just thick-skulled morons. Stay in your class” he emphasised the words. 

He sat back and folded his hands behind his head casually. “Besides” he said, “The Hunters are the best class, we get to leave the City and its walls. We’re not trapped per se, and that’s just how we like it. Until one of us eventually sells out to the Vanguard.”

“Sells out?” Divaria asked, looking up as Andal slammed down his glass, finishing his beer already. 

“He’s talking about the Hunter Vanguard spot” Divaria’s Ghost said, telling her the general information. “It’s a Leader spot up in the Tower, and they oversee all the Hunters. The spots have been open for two years, the last Vanguard disappeared, and no one ever saw him again.”

“As if any of us would take that job” Cayde scoffed, “Open road for me, baby. No way am I going to go up there and rot my brain out with politics.”

“Agreed” Andal and Shiro muttered. 

Andal gathered four shot glasses and lined them up in front of him. He grabbed the bottle of spirit and poured four, placing each one in front of them. “Here’s to new comrades” he said, “And to those who have fallen, may we never forget them.”

Divaria was hesitant, but she wanted to look good in front of the guys. So she mirrored their actions and picked up her glass, holding it up before gulping it down in one go. The clear liquid stung the back of her throat and burned the way down. 

She began to cough, tears springing to her eyes as she fought the burning sensation, much to Cayde and Andal’s amusement. 

“You’ll get used to it Divvy” Cayde said, sitting forward and chuckling, “If you’re going to be working with us, it’s a frequent occurrence.”

The night started to drag on, and then later it got, the more Andal, Cayde and Shiro drank. They became inebriated, and Divaria felt a sense of duty to stay and make sure they didn’t get themselves into trouble. She had already noticed the leery stares they were getting from the others in the bar. 

It turns out, Divaria’s new team had loose tongues when they were drunk, and she learnt that Hunters made bets and bad ones. “You know what” Cayde slammed his glass down and thrust a finger at Andal, “We’ll get that bastard Taniks. Let’s make a dare-...”

“A dare?” Andal rose a brow, slurring his words as he agreed to the statement. 

“We’ll have a race to find Taniks,” Cayde said, pointing and wagging his finger between everyone at the table. Although Divaria knew she wouldn’t be doing any fighting or hunting being as green as she was. 

“The one who  _ fails  _ to kill Taniks gotta take the job in the Vanguard” Cayde challenged, “It’s the Hunters Dare.”

Divaria felt a shift in the atmosphere, and she gazed around the smoky room, wondering what had just happened. Goosebumps prickled up her arm, and she smoothed down the hairs standing on end. 

“No real Hunter turns down a dare,” her Ghost whispered, backing up as Shiro’s Ghost, Stasi, and Sundance blinked back at them. 

“One of us will get the killing blow” Cayde announced as Andal poured another drink, “And all the glory. And the sucker that’s the loser?” Cayde followed suit and poured himself another glass, gulping it down as he stared back at Andal and the tiny form of Divaria in his protective shadow. 

“The loser has to hang em’ up, live in the Tower like some damsel in distress. No more lonely roads for them.”

Cayde cackled, and Divaria felt another tingle run down her spine at the comment, Hunters getting caught behind the wall. She felt claustrophobic, and the room seemed to close in around her. Her foggy alcohol riddled brain trying to make sense of the world. 

“Leave the road to the real-dealers, alright?” The dare was accepted, and Divaria could only watch as they slammed their glasses down again. 

The night slipped away from underneath them when the Rose closed Divaria, and her drunken mess of a new Crew stumbled down the road. Divaria was tipsy but did not drink nearly as much as her comrades, and already, she felt responsible for them. 

The Tower was empty when they arrived. Sundance turned to Divaria and her nameless Ghost, her large eye blinking down at them. “We will meet here, zero seven hundred hours” she said, “Don’t be late, these guys don’t like waiting around. They will leave without you.”

“I still don’t understand why Saint sent her to us,” Stasi said, hovering above Divaria. “We are not babysitters.”

“First time I’ve been talked down to by a Ghost” Divaria said, frowning at the surly Ghost. “I’m here to learn. Certainly ain’t going to be learning squat if I stay up here?” Divaria held out her arm behind her, emphasising her point. 

“Don’t mind Stasi,” Sundance said, rising slightly to keep an observant eye on the trio of drunken Guardians standing against the Guardrails. “We’ve just come off a mission where we lost a comrade and another who lost his Ghost. We don’t want that to happen to you.”

Divaria shared a hesitant glance to her Ghost, then over her shoulder to the gaggle of drunken men. “I’m going to try” she said, looking back at the Ghosts, “I want to do this.”

“It’s on you” Stasi said, looking away and his petals bristling with annoyance. 

“Come on” Divaria’s Ghost nudged her forward, pushing himself against her shoulder. “We’ll get some hours of sleep in before we get up.” They bid farewell to the Ghosts and the drunk Crew, and the Ghost led Divaria back to their empty little room in the Hunter barracks. 

The door swung shut behind her, and Divaria had barely taken off her boots when she realised that there was a new, unfamiliar duffel bag sitting atop the chest of drawers sitting against the wall, a note sitting on top. 

Divaria opened the envelope, curious to see who’d welcomed her—skimming over the contents, a smile stretching across her face. “It’s from Saint” she said, holding it out to her Ghost so he could read it as well. 

“Just got some supplies for us, to start me off on my new journey as a Hunter. And that he regrets his decision putting me with Cayde and the Crew. Already.” Divaria snorted with laughter and lowered the note, searching the bag. “I’ve only gone on the one job with Cayde. Saint must have read the reports.”

“I’ve spent a fair amount of time here” Ghost said as Divaria rummaged through the bag, pulling out several items of armour and a standard hooded cape. 

“I’ve watched the Guardians around the Tower, in between my bouts of adventures looking for you. Saint goes out of his way to meet all the newly born. I get this funny feeling he’s searching for someone, but I’m not sure. It’s made him quite the admirable figure amongst the Guardians.”

Divaria grabbed the cape gifted by Saint and used it as a blanket, throwing it over her knees as she settled into the hammock. “It’s three am,” Ghost said as Divaria cracked open the journal, brushing her fingers down the clean, crisp page. “Maybe you should get some sleep.”

“I can’t sleep” Divaria said, “It’s been way too exciting, I gotta write it down, so I never forget this feeling.” She grabbed a pencil and began to sketch some lines, her hands moving on their own. “It feels weird” she said, outlining the figures. “I feel like I  _ have  _ to do this.”

Ghost watched Divaria draw, and he blinked down at the picture starting to form from the sketching lines. “You’re a good drawer,” he said, sounding impressed. “Quite an artist.”

Divaria sketched over the double-page, the lines taking shape and a picture starting to create an image. Going from Divaria’s memory and onto the pages. Divaria sketched the ‘Dare.’ 

Cayde, Andal and Shiro. 

The Ghost admired the work and blinked back to Divaria, “You must have been an artist in your previous life” he said, “Some of the Warlocks speculate that Guardians can have muscle memory when they’re revived from actions they undertook in their first life.”

“Interesting” Divaria murmured, twirling the pencil between her fingers before touching up a few more sketch lines on Cayde. “I don’t know what happened back there” she looked up at the Ghost, “But I want to prove myself to these guys. I don’t want to be the tiny, helpless Guardian that will need protecting, I want to grow and learn, and show that arsehole Shiro what for.”

Her Ghost laughed with amusement and Divaria stared up at him curiously, Ghosts were bizarre. To have this permanent little fixture wherever she went, protecting her from death. It was nothing short of a fairy tale. 

The Ghost seemed to realise what she was thinking, and he sat atop her wild mess of blonde hair. “I can’t believe you’re finally here” he said, “I spent a long time looking for you like many Ghosts do, and now? I’m just happy I have my Guardian. We’re going to do great things Divaria, just you wait.”

“Echo-...” Divaria turned her eyes down and touched up her picture again, making sure each one was neat and perfect. 

The Ghost twirled in response, “What’s that?” he asked. 

“Something I read in the Tower” Divaria said, “Life is an echo, what you send out comes back.” 

“I like that” the newly christened Echo hummed, “We can do great things, put them out to the world. It’s all we Guardian’s need is to watch the Last City flourish once more.


	4. Burning Prophecies

"Osiris and the Speaker are fighting again."

"They are not fighting. It is a difference of opinion, not a-..."

"Osiris is a heretic. We've let him run rampant for too long."

Divaria looked up from her seat as the gaggle of voices came closer to where she was sitting. They got louder, and she sat back and held her journal against her chest, hiding the drawing she was working on. 

Ikora Rey, Lord Shaxx and another band of Guardians strode past the fountain, arguing and talking over the escalating problem of the Cult that had appeared in the City and the Guardian Tower. 

The whispers about Osiris' troubling prophecies about the Vex had grown, and soon it was all anybody spoke and argued about. There were the people who believed every word that the Warlock Vanguard and others, who thought he was an absolute fool who wanted to bring ruin.

Andal told Divaria to stay out of it. Hunters didn't wrap themselves in the quarrels in the issues of the Tower. It was higher than their paygrade, and it didn't concern Divaria or her new crew with Andal, Cayde and Shiro.

On the other side of the fountain, the Guardian's began to shout again.

_ 'Osiris has seen the future! He's our leader.' _

_ 'Future War Cult claims to see the future, too. They're all crazy, just like Osiris.' _

There was an electrifying zap of arc energy that rapidly built to a terrifying degree. So fast and so severely that the hairs at the back of Divaria's neck stood on edge. The Guardian's began to fight, and there were a rumble and a flash of arc energy that spread up the fountain and sent out a hot wash of sparks. 

Divaria yelped with surprise and scrambled from her seat, just as the marble bench she was sitting on exploded into large chunks, sending debris flying over her head and into the fountain. Still holding her journal to her chest, Divaria watched the fight with wide eyes, surprised that the Guardian's dared to fight in the Sanctuary. 

"You're dragging innocent people into this" Ikora scolded when they were made aware of Divaria's presence from behind the fountain. 

Lord Shaxx took the bold move to step in between the two teams of fighting Guardians. Thrusting out both of his arms and pushing back two large Titans, one male and the other female. 

"This isn't your fight Shaxx!" the male Titan spat, sending saliva over his face and over Shaxx, who was unperturbed by the lack of disrespect. Although he wore a helmet, Shaxx's gaze could kill. 

"All battles are my battles,  _ whelp _ " Shaxx said, snarling in anger his face barely titled to the angry male titan. "Your behaviour is deplorable. You don't take your grievances out on each other in the City. Many innocent people do not deserve this disgusting behaviour."

The Guardian's stood back but looked at Shaxx with anger and annoyance. At least they were no longer fighting amongst each other. The old Warlord looked back and forth between the Guardians, driving his point home. 

"We fight to prepare for the greater battles that are to come" he said, his voice booming across the garden. "War is coming. It's coming to our City! Put your frustrations out there."

As quickly as it started, the fight was over, and the Guardians murmured and exchanged heated glances. But Shaxx was right. The Tower was not a place to be fighting against each other.

Divaria snapped her journal shut and wrapped the leather string around it, her afternoon ruined and she wanted nothing but to run away and find someone to latch on. 

"Are you alright?" Shaxx asked her and Divaria froze on the spot, eyes as wide as a deer. Divaria chuckled and jabbed a thumb over her shoulder, stuttering with the sudden attention. 

"I'm just, going- to leave" she said, "I'm fine, honestly."

Divaria fled the garden before anyone followed her, running across the marketplace and towards the entrance of the Hangar.  _ Someone  _ she knew would have to be down there, heck, even if it was Shiro. Divaria was going to take it. The fighting over Osiris was only getting worse. 

Much to Divaria's relief, Cayde and Shiro were in the back Hangar. The Queen of Hearts undergoing maintenance before they head out on their next mission. Divaria scrambled into the area, hiding behind a giant tower of steel trunks.

"What's got you rattled Divvy?" Cayde asked, looking up from the maintenance report. "What trouble did you get yourself into?"

"I didn't think someone could get into trouble drawing in the Garden," Shiro said, giving a deadpan expression to Divaria as Echo took her journal away in a wash of blue light. 

"Titans" Divaria said, pushing her wild hair from her face, "Fighting over Osiris again. Shaxx broke it up. He was pretty mad at what they did. I was almost fried by arc energy."

"Oh-..." Cayde and Shiro did their best eye roll as Exo's. But they instantly understood. "They're a bunch of knuckleheads" Cayde said, "Things  _ always  _ get busted when they start fighting, no spatial awareness whatsoever."

"Can't wait to get out of here," Shiro said, picking up a cache and carrying it towards the ramp of the Queen. "Get away from this bullshit political fight. It feels like everyone is forcing you to pick a side, no matter what side you pick, you're going to get crucified for it."

"We're not leaving just yet" Cayde said, he gestured to Sundance and slid a slim screen from underneath his datapad, he put it on his Ghost, and she carried it to Shiro. "Got some stuff for you to pick up, we'll need it."

Shiro read the list of supplies and looked back up to Cayde with an unamused expression. "How do you expect me to get all this?" he asked, "Do you have any glimmer I can use? 'Cause I certainly don't."

"I have full confidence in you" Cayde said and turned around back to his ship, ending the conversation. 

Shiro sighed, looking well and truly over Cayde's shenanigans and even Stasi lowered, looking back at Cayde with irritation, but the Ghost didn't say anything in retaliation. When Divaria looked around the caches, Shiro and Stasi shared one glance between each other, and he thrust a finger at her. 

"You're coming with me," he said.

Divaria was bewildered that Shiro picked her to come with him down into the City. There was still a degree of contempt between them, and Shiro was still rather rude towards Divaria. So, of course, the motion confused her.

The City was busy with the morning traffic as Shiro and Divaria wandered into the Humble District. They pushed past and avoided the crowds of locals and Guardian's and Shiro groaned with disgust as another Osiris Cultist was braying to the masses on the corner. 

"Osiris knows the way!" The Cultist cried, "His Prophecies show the Light!"

"Bunch of morons" Shiro said, grabbing hold of Divaria's arm, so he didn't lose her in the gathering crowd. "Can't get away from it, no matter where you go." The Hunters escaped the crowded square and down into the back allies of the Humble District.

Seeing it the other night hid most of the shadiness, but now seeing it daylight, Divaria saw just how dirty and terrible it truly was. The stalls were in tatters, stained and grimy, and the vendors huddled behind their fronts using it as a front to the stuff they hid below. 

"How does Cayde expect us to get all this stuff?" Divaria asked the knowledge of her empty bank account a painful thought in her mind. "There's no way we have any glimmer between us."

"We get paid peanuts," Shiro said, glowering at her with disgust. "Hardly enough to get through and live life. Instead, we get those filthy excuses of barracks, and dog food served in the cafeteria. We gotta find alternative means."

Divaria fervently hoped that Shiro wasn't going to force her to turn into a little thief that would nick things off the shopfronts and stalls. Shiro withdrew something from his pocket, and Divaria watched, holding her breath in anticipation, her mind jumping to conclusions. 

Shiro took out a pack of playing cards, and Divaria breathed out in relief. There was going to be no thievery or murder this day, and she felt stupid for even thinking that. 

"Gotta start from the bottom" Shiro said, gazing down at her from over his shoulder. "Cayde's pathetic at playing cards, there's a reason why he's in debt up to his eyeballs. I've been doing this for years; all you have to do is find the suckers."

Gambling. Of course.

"I think that's what everyone is aiming to do?" Divaria said, gazing at the long alley of tables, filled and surrounded by Guardian's like them. Betting and pooling together glimmer and items for trade. "I don't have a good feeling about this."

"We should be ok," Shiro said, chastising her as he spied a table down in the distance. "Hunters live our lives scamming each other out of gear and money. It's just part of life. Otherwise, you'll be stuck on the starting blocks forever. Now, watch and learn."

Shiro sat down at the empty table, and the fellow Guardian looked the pair up and down several times. The corners of his mouth turned up at the sides, and he gazed at Divaria.

"You're a cute little Guardian, aren't you?"

"Back off mate" Divaria said, folding her arms. Shiro slammed down his cards and pointed at the piece of ship tech. She hoped Shiro was going to be able to swindle their fellow Guardian out of everything he had, just for the stupid comment alone. 

"Let's have a game," Shiro said. The Hunters shared a knowing glance at what was about to happen. The other Hunter agreed, nodding his head and sitting back. 

"Offers?" he asked.

As Shiro and the Hunter discussed terms and their offers for the game, Divaria looked over her shoulder. There was a shout of anger further up the alley. A Hunter jumped to his feet, losing his game and everything on the table. 

Other Guardian's jeered and others laughed at their comrade's misfortune. The loser flipped the table with rage and sent everything flying to the cobblestone. Cubes of glimmer flew into the air and weapons clattered to the ground.

Divaria looked back when there was a noisy clatter on the table in front of her, Stasi summoned several impressive weapon frames. One that made the other Hunter sit forward, his eyes widening. 

"Built them myself" Shiro said, "Guaranteed to work against our enemies in the wilds. Wanna place anything else?"

Divaria hummed in surprise with Shiro's offer. The Exo was very confident in his abilities to put something as impressive as those on the table for gambling.

"Watch yourself rookie" Shiro said to her, shuffling his deck of cards. "Don't let those ferals swindle you." He initiated his game, sorting out the cards and Divaria took heed, but still watched the busy alley, the feeling to explore her surroundings burning her veins.

"Pretty little face like that will turn some heads" the other Hunter said, flicking the top of a lighter and putting a cigarette in his mouth. He puffed out a plume of smoke and Divaria scowled, but his words struck a thought.

"Boss won't like it if I put her on the table" Shiro said, "This one goes all the way to the bird-brain. There will be some hefty explanations that will need to be said if I lost her."

"Oh-ho" the Hunter laughed, "Garnered the attention of old Saint-14 himself, huh?" he asked, directing his words to Divaria. "Dangerous spot to be in. Never put yourself in the direct line of the leaders, if they like you enough, you'll get yourself caged in the City."

"I am right here," Divaria said, frowning down at Shiro. "You gotta stop doing that. You can be such a jerk."

"Get used to it" Shiro said back to her, "I'm not changing how I am, to appease you."

Divaria groaned as the Hunters started their game and rolled her gaze back to the alley. There was no way she was going to stand around and wait for the men to finish. It was far too time-consuming; there had to be a faster way to get what they needed.

"I won't be far," she said, tapping Shiro on the shoulder. Divaria stepped away and wandered down the alley, admiring and investigating the myriad of weapons and parts offered by locals and Guardian's alike. 

It was akin to a child in a toy store.

"There's so much stuff here" Divaria said, looking up at Echo as he admired the wares himself. "Too bad we don't have the glimmer to buy it, and I-..." Divaria's eyes slid to another table of gambling Hunters. "I haven't learnt how to gamble yet."

"We don't need to gamble though" Echo said, blinking his eye at her. "There are always alternative measures. Like- doing your job and getting paid."

Divaria pursed her lips and blew a curt raspberry. If her version of work entailed doing all the reports and data gathering for Cayde-6, then it was not worth doing. The stories of exploration were enthralling, and Divaria wanted more of that. 

"Hey pretty lady" someone called out to Divaria, who stood straight from the table. A civilian waved at her from a table with a mess of tech and dirty gadgets. Yet another person catcalling her and Divaria smirked, a sly smile stretching across her face. 

_ All you have to do is find the suckers. _

Shiro's game had amassed a crowd when Divaria returned. There were now five players and a large pile of gadgets, weapons and glimmer were on the offers table. A group surrounded the players, Divaria couldn't get back to Shiro, and she was far too short to see over the heads of the Guardians surrounding her.

"The Exo's the only one left" a Hunter in front of Divaria said, whispering to his comrade standing beside him. "If he has a higher hand, he'll take the lot. I don't think I've seen a good player like him for a long time."

There was a hush amongst the crowd, Divaria held her breath waiting for a positive reaction. Finally, after what seemed like an hour, the crowd cheered. Shiro had won his game, and therefore, everything on the table was his. 

Waiting until the crowd dispersed, Divaria hung back and waited for Shiro to make a reappearance. The view cleared and Stasi was taking the loot off the table, and Shiro was pocketing his deck of cards.

"Where've you been?" Shiro said, sending Divaria a sharp look as she approached him. "You were gone that entire game. It wasn't exactly short."

"I went and got some stuff of my own," Divaria said, folding her arms across her chest and thrusting her nose into the air. "Unlike you, I don't need to fight or gamble for stuff. I think I've found a good way."

"You? Please" Shiro scoffed, he moved forward and away from the cursing Hunter behind them. Divaria followed after him, her mouth open in a scowl. She tried to challenge Shiro into saying more, but he stayed silent.

"You'd be surprised what people will give you, if you're kind and say the right things you know" Divaria said, "You said so yourself, find the suckers. So I did, and I got some cool things because of it."

"You're saying you flirted your way through?" Shiro looked down as they pushed their way through the crowd and out of the dirty, dark alley. "Is that how you did it?"

"Well yeah" Divaria said, looking at Shiro and holding out her hand in a  _ 'duh'  _ gesture. "The ones that catcalled me were the easiest to manipulate. Sat on their tables, played dumb and let them talk about themselves. They gave me mostly what I wanted and asked about, no price tag."

"Clever" Stasi murmured, "Not many females can pull off the flirting technique."

"Not many are attractive either" Shiro said, "That's why it doesn't work most of the time. That's why some of them go alternative routes." He gazed back to Divaria, who instantly held up her hands and waved them, her expression one of disgust. 

"Nuh-uh" she said, "I have my pride and my dignity. I'll pay for something before I ever think of doing something like that. C'mon, cut me some slack I'm trying to help you." 

Divaria was exasperated with Shiro's demeanour. He just simply didn't like her, no matter what she tried to do.

"I don't need your help" Shiro said, "And if it wasn't for Cayde and Andal's insistence on teaching you how to be a Hunter. I wouldn't have ever brought you down here with me to start with."

Shiro stopped on the sidewalk, stopping Divaria as the shuttles rumbled past them. He turned around, and the Hunters stared at each other, and Divaria had a hurt expression on her face at Shiro's disregard of her feelings. 

"You have no idea what we're up against" Shiro said, warning her once again. "The danger that is lurking,  _ hunting  _ our crew. I'm doing this to save your life. I don't want to see you slaughtered the way the other girl was."

"You have a funny way of showing that you care" Divaria said, "But I want to do this. You can't sway my decision. I'm not asking you to babysit me, just, be my friend. This life is already confusing as it is."

Shiro shook his head and looked away. He turned back about to say something else. But the conversation was stopped short when there were booming cries and the roars of a crowd. It came from behind the congregation of buildings, directly beneath the Traveler.

Divaria looked over with surprise, wondering what could have caused such an uproar. Shiro looked like he wondered the same. Despite the rocky ground, their friendship was on, the pair nodded at each other and crossed the road.

"Do not believe this heresy. The lies will consume you, and already it pivots you against the Traveler, your family and your comrades. We will not allow this to happen."

A voice boomed over the central plaza, a decorated marble square and at the centre, at the highest peak was the Speaker.

"This is getting out of hand" Shiro murmured, stopping at the edge of the crowd and viewing the rally that the Speaker was encouraging. "Seriously, it needs to stop. Sick of hearing about it."

Besides the Speaker, was a burning pyre of fliers, books and enormous piles of parchment. With the recent drama happening in the Tower, they all knew that the Speaker was burning the Prophecies of Osiris, created by a band of zealots who took the word of science and twisted it to fit their beliefs. 

"It's a bit extreme to burn them in public like this," Divaria said, shuffling beside Shiro, feeling uncomfortable. "This is just going to cause more drama, the fights up at the Tower are going to get worse."

"Guess it was the only way the Speaker could get his point across" Shiro said, "Not that it matters to people like us. The Vanguard is showing its cracks. No wonder people are losing faith in them. All they do is sit on their hands and argue."

Divaria pursed her lips and watched the ash rise to the air, the alabaster Traveler hanging motionless above them. Surely, there were worse things to be fighting about than a couple of papers outlining another threat and the crazy beliefs of a couple of Osirian Zealots.

"You're just trying to blind us to the truth!" a man standing at the front of the crowd shouted, his hand raised and a finger jabbed accusingly at the Speaker. "Osiris speaks the truth, and you deny it all. It will be the downfall of the City!"

"The Speaker wants us to perish!" a woman said, dramatising the spectacle and riling the crowd further. "We need to prepare for the Darkness; it is inevitable. We have to fight back!"

"Isn't that what the Guardian's are for?" another screamed, "What are they doing? Nothing!"

"The Speaker knows best!" came the support from the other side, "He speaks for the Traveler. It is our saviour. The light will protect us from our enemies and the Darkness."

"Can you believe these idiots?" Shiro gestured a hand out to the masses in front of them. "Do they seriously think all Guardians are up in the Tower doing nothing? I'm out there almost every day, working my arse off to keep the City safe from the Fallen. Andal and Cayde as well. The gall, to sit there and accuse us of shit like that. They have no idea."

It was a hopeless situation, and Divaria didn't know what to say. She hadn't been in the City or amongst the Guardian's for very long. Her experience and her beliefs wouldn't matter in the broader spectrum of opinions. All she could do was watch and follow the directions given to her by her bosses. 

"Let's get out of here" Shiro motioned to Divaria, they escaped the protesting crowd as the Speaker continued to preach behind them. "The sooner we're out of here, the better. Let the Consensus rip each other apart. They and the Speaker usually get their way anyway."

The Hunters left the plaza. Shiro gazed back at his list of supplies, and Divaria watched with hesitancy as they passed the street. The fliers and parchments prophesying the end stapled haphazardly on each post.

Divaria didn't show it, but deep down, it made her afraid. She was a brand new Guardian. She had no idea just what kind of terrifying enemies she would have to face in the future. The Guardian's were the front line. She'd have to experience it first hand.

* * *

"You're saying that you  _ flirted  _ with guys to get these?"

Cayde and Andal stood at the table and inspected the wares Divaria had managed to manipulate out of the desperate Hunters down in the Humble District. There was nothing overly expensive, but there were several gadgets. Some notable items were tech for sparrows, weapons and some treasure maps.

"She's done a better job than you," Andal said to Cayde, shoving Cayde's shoulder with a smile on his face. "And you can charm the knickers off a Nun, you sly ol' bastard."

"That was only one time" Cayde said, thumbing through the items. "And I had no idea she was a nun, mind you." Cayde picked up a pistol from the wares as Andal laughed at the statement, a tear of mirth gathering at the corner of his eye. 

"This is nothing compared to what Shiro dragged in'' Divaria tried to put more of the light on Shiro and his effort. "I think I'm going to have to learn my gambling strats from him," she shrugged at Cayde with a crooked smile. "Sorry Cayde."

"Well with a haul like this, I don't think you need to gamble" Cayde said, "If you can be as charming as I can, you'll be able to get away with everything. Big bat of those eyelashes and you rob someone blind."

"I don't think you're that charming," Divaria said as Andal laughed in agreement. "The words I used, coming out of  _ your  _ mouth. I think you'd earn yourself quite the hefty slap." Divaria smirked and joked with her new friends, and Cayde waved her off. 

"You've done too much listening to Andal" he said, jeering at her. "My side is the best side."

"If that's the hill you decide to die on, then I feel sorry for you" Andal said in retaliation, picking up the maps and rolling them neatly. "Even the rookie is giving you a hard time, even she can see through your shenanigans."

Andal held up the scrolls and waved them at Divaria, showing her what he intended to take from her swindled wares. "Better get used to it though, we're heading out come morning. Got some Fallen to hunt and some camps to pillage."

"Oh we're leaving?" Cayde instantly perked up at the statement, his optics lighting up.

Divaria watched with excited anticipation. It would be her first real assignment with the guys. She hoped it would be as exciting as Cayde made it out to be. Even with Shiro there, Divaria wasn't going to let it get her down. It was going to be exciting, and she couldn't wait.

  
  



	5. The Lonely Road

“I’ve been getting transmission across the ranges about a spattering of Devil Camps” Andal studied his map, structured and drawn entirely by his hand. He pointed to a spot and circled it with the tip of his finger. “We’re here, so we’ll head up-” 

Andal traced the parchment and made several imaginary circles, making sure his Ghost made all the necessary routes and points. 

“The sooner Shiro gets his ship in for repairs, the easier it will be to transport everyone” Cayde sat back against the tree, twirling a knife between his fingers as Shiro started a fire, holding his hands above it. 

“You know that won’t happen for a while” Shiro said, scowling at the statement. “I doubt it will ever get fixed with all the arguing going on in the Vanguard and the Consensus at the moment. Probably be easier to steal one at this point.”

Cayde agreed and continued to twirl his knife, his eyes went over Shiro, then Andal and then finally onto Divaria. Sitting against the tree and scribbling something in her journal, several pieces of Fallen tech and several knives sitting at her feet. 

“Interested in their gear, Divvy?” Cayde called from across the tiny camp. “Shiro gets that same look when he’s studying the frame of a new weapon to build.”

Divaria looked up in surprise, broken from her trance. She lowered her pencil and looked up at Cayde, who sat back waiting for an answer. Divaria dropped her knees and laid her legs flat against the earth. 

“This?” she questioned, gesturing to the weapons. “I guess I’m studying them, interesting to find out what makes them tick.”

It was partly the truth, Divaria wasn’t about to tell her friends that she was trying to learn more about the Fallen and their language. She had pages, upon pages of the written word that she’d been reborn in, and her curiosity was getting too much to handle. 

* * *

“So where’s this supposed camp?” Cayde placed his hands on his hips and gazed over the empty clearing. A large thicket of trees surrounded them, with a mess of boulders that had fallen from the large and mostly unstable outcrop above them.

“It should be here” Andal said, scratching his head and looking back at the holographic map his Ghost was projecting. “The last message was three days ago. Surely the Fallen haven’t packed up. There’s no evidence here.”

“I think I know why.”

Shiro came back down through the trees and jabbed a thumb up to the rocky outcrop. “They're up there, but I think there’s been some activity that shifted the boulders. I can’t get through the opening. It’s tiny.”

The other Hunters approached the trees, and Shiro pointed out a small opening near the top of the outcrop. It was up high, above a maze and a puzzle of tree branches and loose boulders. None of the larger guys would be able to get through to the top.

Cayde looked at Divaria, then gestured his chin towards the entrance. “There’s your first objective Div.” 

“What if there’s a full camp up there?” Shiro said, frowning at Cayde, “We can’t get up there if she needs help. We can’t send the rookie, I’ll find another way to get up.” Shiro made a move to step away, but Cayde held up a hand and stopped him.

“You said that we need to stop coddling the rookies?” he said, questioning the statement. “Then fine, Divaria, get up there and check it out.” Cayde was assured, and he sent a thumbs up to Divaria, urging her forward. 

Divaria breathed in deep once, then moved forward. It was the only logical sense that they’d send her up. She was the only one small enough to get through the hole, if the Fallen were up there, she’d have to prove herself.

“I’ll find another way around” Andal said, getting agitated as Divaria leapt up, grabbing a tree branch and swinging herself up onto a large boulder. Andal felt that he was in charge of taking care of the rookie, Saint had entrusted her to him. 

Now Cayde seemed to be taking the reins and encouraging Divaria to do stupid and dangerous things that new Guardians wouldn’t necessarily learn right away. 

“She’ll be fine,” Cayde assured Andal, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back. “We’ve done worse, give her a chance.”

Divaria jumped up the boulders, wobbling slightly and looking down, feeling disorientated with the height. The outcrop was unstable, and one wrong misstep could send Divaria plummeting to the ground below and kill her. 

A beam of sunlight warmed her cheek, and Divaria pushed off the wobbling boulder and climbed through the small hole, sending loose rocks and debris to the ground below. It was a tight fit and Divaria had to wiggle herself through, the twigs and rocks scratching her armour and face.

“See I told you she could do it,” Cayde said below, nudging Andal with his elbow.

Divaria pulled herself through the tangle of branches and got to her knees. Her eyes crossed as a barrel of a rifle pointed down at her, a Fallen Vandal on the other end, leering down at her with four, glowing eyes.

“Well damn” Divaria muttered, as more Fallen approached her. The camp was filled with Dregs and Vandals. It had been up here after all, and Divaria had just stepped into the thick of it. 

The Fallen bellowed in a challenge, and the rifle began to light up with arc energy. Echo’s voice filled Divaria’s mind, loud and demanding and directing Divaria away from the imminent danger of the incoming arc bolt. 

Divaria rolled to the side, sending a spray of dirt and rocks up and scrambling to her feet. The Fallen all screeched in front of her, and through the racket of the enemy. Andal was frantically calling her name.

Divaria hand went right for the weapons sheathed on her leg, but her fingers glossed over the old pistol and she grabbed hold of the old, weathered hilt of her knife. It felt more natural using it. Despite its age and state of disrepair, it was still lethal and dangerous enough to wield.

The Vandal was disoriented with Divaria’s speed, pulling up his rifle and unable to aim the large and slow to charge weapon. The dregs swarmed forward, and another Vandal grabbed an arc polearm, trying to trap the Guardian that had stumbled upon their camp.

Divaria dug her heels into the soft earth and swung back, flourishing her arm, and the blade glinted dangerously in the dappled sunlight. With deadly precision, the blade cut across the throat of a dreg. Purple blood spurted from the wound, and more purple smoke and dust exuded from the severed tubes at its throat. 

It was one of many, and Divaria felt the light burning her limbs dulling her emotions and sharpening her senses. A Vandal was next, and it dropped a shock pistol, which Divaria picked up with ease. Her arms moved on instinct, not thinking about what she was doing. Her body moved on its own. 

There was a crackle of energy that shot right up her arm, and Divaria squeezed the trigger and let loose several loud bangs, aiming it at the Fallen and knocking two more out with lethal precision. 

The light was molten in her veins, and it only continued to grow hotter as Divaria tried to fight back the overwhelming number of enemies in the camp. There wasn’t enough ammo in the cannon to take them all down, and she didn’t want to risk snapping the blade of her old knife. 

“Come on, Div,” Echo’s voice said, “I know you can do it.”

The burning was getting too much, tendrils of pure white twirled down Divaria’s arms and started to pool in the palms of her hands. There was another explosion that rang in her ears, and an arc bullet fired from another arc pistol grazed her arm, the arc energy had a violent reaction to the pooling light.

There was a crack of thunder that came from Divaria’s body; the light burst forth and raced up down her limbs and body. Deep blue electricity coiled around her, a large electric pole manifested in her hands.

The Fallen understood what was happening, and they all drew back with fear. Eyes wide as Divaria lunged forward with a primal cry on her lips, the electricity cut through the Fallen bodies and limbs like a hot knife through butter, and rapidly they fell turning into smouldering heaps under the wrath of Divaria’s arc light.

The large arc pole began to dissipate as Divaria’s body continued to burn with the overexertion of light energy. With no more than three Fallen enemies left, Divaria’s fingers clenched back over her knife, the remnants of her arc light illuminating the blade and lighting up the hilt and the blade with glittering stars. 

The last of the Fallen fell at her feet. Leaving the best for last, the Fallen Vandal that tried to kill her with the wire rifle, dropped the weapon and looked for a way to escape the carnage of his camp. There was no escape from the Guardian.

Divaria knocked back the enemy, sending it sprawling on its back. Divaria didn’t dare look it in the eyes as she thrust the knife down, pushing the blade so deep that it disappeared into the body of the Fallen.

There was a large explosion behind her, and several of the trees blocking the path to the outcrop disintegrated under burning, solar light. It opened up the small entry to a large gaping hole, and through the ash, Andal was still calling for her.

“Divaria!” he shouted, “Div are you alright?”

Holding her arm up to her mouth, Divaria coughed back the ash and stumbled to the edge of the outcrop where Cayde was simmering down, his solar light burning away from the last of his armour. 

“I’m fine” Divaria called, her voice hitching in her throat and coughing again. “It’s good, they’re dead. All of them.”

Andal sighed, looking relieved. Beside him, Cayde punched the air, cheering.

“Woo, our little Divvy got guts!”

Divaria went back to the camp and withdrew her sparkling blue knife from the corpse of the Fallen beneath her. Glimmering purple blood shone on the blade and splattered over the glove. She wiped the worst of the blood from her blade. 

The weapon was still glowing from the remnants of her light, Echo appeared over her shoulder, and they inspected the unique blade. Divaria ran the tip of her finger across the hilt, tracing the constellation of stars across it, highlighted with blue light.

There was so much she wanted to know; it was no ordinary weapon she held. It had to have a _meaning_ behind it. 

Divaria sighed and sheathed it, flicking her hand and yanked the wire rifle from the corpse of the Vandal. It was enormous in her hands, and she almost lost her balance as she tried to holster it in the straps across her back. Echo helped her maintain her balance.

Cayde cupped his mouth, shouting to the outcrop. “Whatcha got up there Div? Anything worth throwing down?”

The ransacked camp was smoking under the wrath of Divaria newfound arc powers. Corpses littered the clearing and in the remains of a tattered tent, sat a large steel cache. It was scribbled with Fallen insignia, but it was worth looking at. They would have missed it altogether if Divaria hadn’t shown her worth getting into places others couldn’t. 

“Hang on” she called, adjusting the weapon and then grabbing the handles of the cache, dragging it across the earth. It was insanely heavy, and Divaria felt the muscles in her arm start to burn with the exertion. The tent had three more just like it, marked by the House of Devils. 

Divaria stared at the caches then stepped back over the cliff and peered down to her comrades standing below, their mountain of corpses littering the area. 

“Set up a zone” she called, “We got four up here, and they’re heavy as shit.” 

“Rodger” Andal called, “Set one up Div, send em down.”

Cayde whistled as they opened the caches below after setting up the transmat zones. “Black market weapons or what?” The Exo leant over, with Shiro and Andal in tow and poked through the large chests. 

“This is quite a haul” Andal rubbed his beard in thought, “Hiding them up there with the sniper. They were certainly trying to smuggle something. We better get these back to the City, so they don’t fall into the wrong hands.”

“Finders fee first” Shiro argued, pushing through several weapons and getting to salvage below. “They want us to do our jobs out here. Then we can have the first pick on what we need. They give us fuck all from the Tower.”

“He’s got a point” Cayde rolled his optics to Divaria who nodded in agreement. The pair looked back to Andal, and the human laughed, finally agreeing with his counterparts.

“Guess you’re right” he said, waving them away. “Alright, let’s have a look.”

As they searched through the plunder, Cayde clapped Divaria on the back. “I’m proud of you for standing up to those Fallen in that hidden camp” he said, “I was expecting one of us to come up there and scrape your guts off the rocks. You did well.”

“Nice analogy Cayde” Divaria smirked as Andal sent his teammates a sharp glance. 

“You’re the one that encouraged her up there,” he said to Cayde. “I’m glad you did ok Divaria, but you’re still a rookie. You need to be careful.” Cayde was happy to send Divaria out on a whim of stupid decisions, but Andal was softer, and he looked out for those under his protection. 

“A baby bird gotta fall out of its nest before it begins to fly” Cayde shrugged, “We don’t have time to coddle the rookies. It’s a ruthless world out there, and it’s kill or be killed. Besides, little Divvy is quick on her feet. You’ll learn, won’t you?”

Divaria nodded, striving to meet the expectations of her new fireteam, but it only earned a roll of the eyes from Shiro. “It was just beginner’s luck” he said, and Divaria stuck her tongue out at him petulantly, earning a laugh from Cayde at the childishness of their petty rivalry.

Between the four of them and the four large caches, the Hunters took what ammo they could find. Divaria picked herself a Fallen hand cannon and decided to keep the wire rifle she’d snatched from the Fallen corpse, it was in remarkable condition, and Divaria wanted to know how it worked. She was more comfortable working with their tech.

Cayde pocketed several maps, and Andal took several transmat beacons and handed them off to his Ghost to tuck them away safely. Once thoroughly picked, Andal sent word back to the City, and they transmitted the caches so they could have what was left. 

“Isn’t this thievery?” Divaria asked, pushing the bullets into her newly acquired hand cannon, “We’re not going to get into trouble, are we?” She sent an anxious glance to her comrades as they played with their new weapons and toys.

Cayde laughed at the absurd comment and tucked several of his knives away in his belt. “We’re just skimming off the top” he said, “The City doesn’t know any better, it’s just better that they’re not in the hands of our enemy y’know?”

Divaria pursed her lips, but she accepted the statement. Fair enough that they could get picks to complete their jobs better. She snapped the barrel closed and put it in a holster on her leg, adjusting to the new weight. There was more work to be done.”

“Andal what is this?”

Divaria stared down at the datapad, and her face turned down in dismay as they gathered around the campfire later that night. Her profile blinked up at her and Divaria scowled at the username Andal set for her and Echo. 

“What is a Fairy Wren?” she demanded. 

Her cheeks went red as the three men around her laughed, and Andal put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. “It’s nothing bad” he said, “It’s a little songbird I saw while travelling on Old Australis. Tiny little thing.”

Andal indicated the size of the bird with his fingers, emphasizing just how small it was and he smiled down at Divaria. “You remind me of it, fluttering around and making an awful racket. I couldn’t help myself, so I set your name as that. You’ll love it.”

“You’re lucky I don’t smack you” Divaria sent a lethal glance up to her comrade. Out of the three men she currently worked with, Andal was the one she got along with best. He was a kind soul and a lot more logical than Cayde or Shiro who were more ‘shoot now, talk later’ kind of people.

They shared a smile, and Divaria continued her work on the pad, inputting her details and sending word back to the City of their work outside the walls. No one else liked doing it, Cayde was chronically lazy, and Shiro didn’t like the idea of having the Vanguard sticking their nose into their work. So Divaria took it upon herself to do it for them, it was the least she could do since they agreed to bring her along and teach her.

The group sat in comfortable silence as Divaria finished the rest of their work and powered down the datapad. She looked up and smiled, watching as her friends sat around the fire all doing their own thing. 

Cayde had a pencil sticking out from behind his mouth plate, an open book in his lap and Shiro was fiddling with a metal contraption, trying to repair the source of its crackling and sparking and Andal was studying a map, tracing the movements of the Devil Fallen. 

Divaria reached into her duffel bag and withdrew her book, the one she had been sketching and writing in. Cayde had commended her for persisting with her journaling. After all, Cayde wrote in his journals religiously, so Divaria mimicked him.

Echo landed on her shoulder as Divaria turned the book on its side and began to sketch the clearing. Trying to capture the essence of her fireteam, all caught up in their worlds and devices. These were memories she would love to keep, to come back to and reflect. 

She wrote a small passage on the page next to her drawing of her friends and drew a tiny picture of what she imagined a Fairy Wren might look like all the while cursing Andal, embarrassed to know that everyone found her small stature endearing.

This feeling, it was one that Divaria wanted to keep. She wanted the approval of her friends and the approval of the Guardians. 

Although she had wiped out yet another camp of Fallen and still felt physically sick afterwards, Divaria was going to fight the feeling until she had a reason to stop.


	6. Acting on a Dare

“You’re joking, right?” Divaria lowered her hands and clenched them at her sides as Andal pointed to the boulder. Pulling the authoritative card and commanding Divaria do as she got told. Not even Cayde decided to butt in.

“You don’t seem to realise just how dangerous this guy is” Andal said, “I’d much rather you stay out here and keep watch while we follow the lead. You’ve got better Divaria, but Taniks? He’s on a whole different level. I’m not going home with your murder hanging over my head.”

“Cayde!” Divaria looked at Cayde, her expression one of exasperation and hurt. “C’mon, I could help out” she argued, “Let me come.”

“Sorry Divvy” Cayde held up a hand and shook his head, disagreeing with Divaria’s comment. “Andal’s right about this one. You’re still a rookie, and this is an enemy far beyond your paygrade. Leave it to us veterans.”

Andal pointed to the boulder again, “Sit” he said.

Divaria pouted, looking away from Andal and zeroing in on Shiro, who had his arms folded and looking away from the confrontation. 

“I know you’re behind this” she accused him, jabbing a finger at him and frowning. “You convinced them to make me sit outside. You’re a jerk. You never wanted me here to start with, that’s why you did it.”

“What? Because I don’t want you butchered?” Shiro asked, his optics turning to Divaria. A shine of lethality behind them. “So Taniks won’t cut off your head and mount it on a pike before plucking the petals off your Ghost? You’re blaming me for caring?”

“You certainly don’t act like you care,” Divaria said, bursting back angrily and tears filling her eyes. She was aware that she was acting like a petulant child, but this was a serious blow to her pride as a Guardian. How was she supposed to get stronger if she was always on the sidelines?

“Div, stop” Andal put a hand on her shoulder and forced her to look up at him. He looked apologetic, but he wasn’t going to change his mind. “We’re doing this because we care about you. There’s a long road for you to travel. Don’t hit a dead end on this one. Take it as a lesson, to sit back and know when something is too dangerous for even a Guardian to take on by themselves.”

Divaria stared at the boulder, fighting and swallowing back her tears. They’d been on the road for weeks, trailing and hunting down Taniks the Scarred. Divaria was aware that it was a mission-driven by revenge, to avenge their fallen teammate and the poor soul that lost his Ghost.

Finally, after a long moment, she relented. Divaria climbed atop the boulder and perched down. Hugging her knees to her chest and watching the vast canyon yawning out in front of them. “Fine” she said, “I’ll stay out here and keep watch.”

“Thatta girl” Andal said, scratching his lengthening beard. “We won’t be too long, hopefully. We’ll hit the road and make the way back home.” 

Andal was trying to make it sound less bad, but the underlying feeling in the crew was tense. There was a genuine possibility that Taniks could kill them. If Divaria were out here, she’d have a better chance at escaping Taniks if he succeeded.

Divaria watched her friend forlornly as they suited for battle, reloading their guns and gathering their knives and blades. Divaria didn’t want to admit it, but she feared for their safety, even Shiro’s. They were her friends, and she cared about them a lot.

“Please don’t go out there and die on me” she finally said, as Andal holstered his last gun. Her eyes slid to Cayde as he scoffed, waving a hand at her for the absurd statement. 

“Die?” he said, questioning her. “The word  _ die  _ is not in my vocabulary. We’ll be in and out” he assured her, “Don’t worry about us, we’ve been doing this for a long time.”

Divaria wanted to believe him, but Cayde’s words didn’t soothe her worries. She watched them separate at the road, Andal went north, Cayde East and Shiro West. Whichever one found the right trail would be the one to stare down Taniks.

“Be safe” Divaria whispered, watching them go.

***

Divaria was sketching the landscape after a scathing passage in her journal. She sat against the boulder, her book against her thighs. She was so engrossed in her work that Divaria didn’t realise that someone was approaching her from the path. Their shadow engulfed her and Echo chirped in surprise and hid in Divaria’s hair as she looked up in surprise.

“What are you doing out here by yourself?” they asked, the voice strikingly familiar.

Divaria snapped her journal shut and held it under her arm as she got to her feet, dusting down her pants and her weapons. She looked back up with a smile, glad to see someone she recognised.

“Howdy Saint, what brings you out this far in our neck of the woods?” 

Divaria knelt and picked up her Fallen wire rifle, slinging it over her shoulder and leaning back on the boulder beside Saint, the canyon yawning out in front of them. The Titan holstered his gun, and they exchanged pleasantries.

“I’m not here by myself” Divaria said, “I was-  _ am _ out here with the guys. I’m on watch, Andal, Cayde and Shiro are in there.” Divaria turned around, and Saint came to stand beside her, their gaze sweeping over the canyon. Her smile started to slip, and her hands clenched into fists at her sides. 

“They left me out here” she said, feeling another sting of hurt. “I know it was to keep me safe because I’m the rookie of the team. But it still doesn’t stop the feeling of being left behind. I wanted to prove myself.”

“If they are hunting who I think they are, Andal made the right call” Saint said, putting a heavy hand on Divaria’s shoulder. So heavy that it made the small Hunters knees buckle from the weight. 

“Wait- you know?” Divaria looked up over her shoulder at the towering Titan standing over her. “Are you hunting Taniks as well?” the question went unanswered, but the slight turn of Saint’s head confirmed her suspicions. Divaria had full faith in her crew, but if they couldn’t take on Taniks, Saint certainly could.

Wanting to break the awkward tension in the air, Divaria smirked up at Saint and held up a finger, wagging it at him with a back and forth motion. 

“It’s a race then” she declared, getting the Titan’s attention once more.

“A race?” he said, cocking his head.

“Yeah,” Divaria’s mouth curled at the corners in a mischievous smile. “The guys, against  _ you _ . Taniks is in the canyon, somewhere. Playing hide and seek with everyone coming in to find him. Bet they’re having the times of their lives.”

“What are you going to put up for an offer then?” Saint was well versed in the dirty betting system the Hunters embroiled themselves in. He had lost a vast amount of glimmer, getting swindled and roped into bad bets. 

“Well, I don’t have much on me” Divaria said, holding out her arms trying to emphasise the nothingness she had on her person. “Tell you what, you win the race, and I’ll get on my knees and kiss your boots. I’ll even shout that Titans are better than Hunters.”

“Betting your pride as a Guardian” Saint held his fingers to his helmet, “That is quite a hefty offer. When I win, you will do it in public. In front of your crew.”

“Ooh” Divaria shrunk back with the counter but agreed. “Fine!” 

The guys would kill her if they found out what she’d done.

Saint considered the bet for several beats, then cracked up in laughter. His laugh metallic behind his large, domed helmet. “I knew putting with Andal, and the others would eventually rub off on you” he said, “Didn’t think it would happen so soon.”

“Only took days,” Divaria said, sharing in the laughter. “We’ve been out here for weeks hunting and tracking the Devil camps. So I apologise if there hasn’t been anything to kill, we’ve been doing a thorough job.”

“Fine” Saint said, his laughter dying down. “I will accept your challenge, little hunter. Prepare to have your pride hurt in front of your comrades. Don’t worry, though, I will make sure my boots are thoroughly polished.”

Saint gave Divaria a two-fingered salute, and she returned with one of her own, waving the legendary Titan off with a laugh and put her hands on her hips. Watching him take the path the others had made early that morning. Just another person joining the fray and someone else to worry about.

Long after Saint vanished from the trail, Divaria sat back against the boulder and stared at the journal in her hand. It was late afternoon, and so far there wasn’t any sign of her fireteam. If Taniks died, their mission would be over, and they’d be heading back to the Tower. 

A deep feeling of doubt and sadness festered in the pit of Divaria’s gut as she stared up at the clouds. The mission that they’d decided to bring her on, and there was a festering thought at the back of her mind, fearing that she’d be assigned to another team once they got back.

The thought was a lot more upsetting once she thought of it. She had enjoyed her first mission outside the wall, it was a blast, and she could learn so much more if she continued to stick around. Lost in a daydream, Divaria came back to her senses when a cold tingle went down the back of her spine. 

Goosebumps raced up and down her arm, the hairs standing on end. There was no wind. There was no real reason as to why she got the chills. Divaria got to her feet and looked back towards the canyon but saw nobody coming. But yet, Divaria knew something had happened. 

It was dusk when there were finally signs of life. Divaria paced anxiously up and down the trail heading towards the canyon and two people came from the canyon, one was Andal, and the other was Shiro. Divaria sighed with relief, holding a hand to her chest and ran towards them. 

“H-hey!” Shiro was disgruntled and tried to wiggle himself away as Divaria wrapped one arm around him and the other around Andal, relieved to see them both alive. They were a lot worse for wear, covered in blood and coloured coolant. What they went through, they weren’t ready to speak about it yet.

Divaria withdrew her hands and stepped back, and finally realised that one was missing. As fast as her relief came, it vanished, and a cold feeling of fright surged to life beneath the skin. 

“Where’s Cayde?” Divaria was almost too afraid to ask, “And Saint?”

“Saint?” Andal looked up with confusion, “He’s here?”

“Cayde’s gone to get the Queen” Shiro said, then added in on the conversation about Saint. “Is Saint supposed to be here? Hunting Taniks?”

“He was here earlier” Divaria said, “You guys didn’t see him?” Andal and Shiro shook their heads, answering her question. But they said no more. Something had happened; the tension between Shiro and Andal was proof enough.

Their demeanours made Divaria nervous, walking in silence back to the boulder so Divaria could grab her rifle and bag. Beside her, Shiro tried to wipe blue liquid from the steel plate covering his forearm.

His armour was in tatters, ripped and gouged from claws and teeth, Andal mirrored the damage. Neither of them had come out unscathed, and Divaria understood why they forced her to sit outside. 

Cayde arrived after a tense half-hour, the Queen roared back into orbit, and they opted to have one last night out on the road before heading back to the City in the morning. Much like his comrades, Cayde was a mess, worse than the other two, and his arrival made the situation worse because he was  _ angry _ .

It was late that night that Cayde finally spoke, and it exploded into an intense argument. “Don’t fucking do it” Cayde shouted over the newly prepared fire, “Andal, we were drunk, and none of us was thinking straight. It didn’t count.”

“Yeah don’t sell out. You’ll regret it” Shiro scowled, throwing scraps of metal into the fire.

Divaria shrank down trying to hide in her hood as the arguing ensued around her. It turned out. She didn’t need to ask what had happened in the canyon. Because it flowed from Cayde in a wave of anger and vitriol, pointing it right at Andal.

“A dare is a dare” Andal said, his voice firm. “Cayde, we did the deal, and I’m a man of my word. We’ll go back to the City, and I’ll become the Hunter Vanguard, the spots been empty for years. I’ll take it up. Maybe I can make a difference.”

“Unbelievable” Cayde flung his hand up in the air, “Andal, you’re being caged. It was a stupid bet. It’s not going to be the same without you, and you expect me to keep a rookie alive as well? That was your job. I can barely look after myself.”

Divaria held up her hands and wished she would melt into the ground. There was no way she wanted to get dragged into this. Her entire time away from the City travelling with the guys in the crew, they all said just how bad it was to be ‘caged’, and now Andal was  _ willingly  _ going back, all because of a stupid dare.

“I have faith in you guys” Andal said, “You don’t need me around as much anymore, and I’m sure our little wren can look after herself if she decides to stay with you lot after this.” He brandished his hand over Divaria and Shiro, and they looked up, their expressions one of bewilderment. 

“Hunters stick together. Unlike  _ you _ , none of us will willingly go back to that cesspool and have the collar put on. You have no idea what it’s going to do to us” Cayde said, shouting at Andal who was watching the fire, his face betraying no emotion.

“Don’t drag me into this,” Divaria protested, hiding her face in her hands as Cayde continued his tirade.

Frustrated that he wasn’t getting a rise from Andal, Cayde threw down his items and stormed off into the trees. His voice echoed, swearing and cursing as the evident sounds of fists connecting with tree trunks fading away.

Shiro shook his head, rolling his optics and followed after Cayde. Both of them furious with the turn of events, it was a betrayal in their eyes. Cayde and Shiro’s departure left Andal sitting in front of the campfire, with Divaria huddled against the tree trunk. Awkward with the violent turn of events.

“Are you going to hate me as well?” Andal’s eyes finally raised from the embers of the fire, looking up at Divaria. She balked in response, raising her hands in front of her face and waved them, fighting the feeling of panic. 

“I don’t think I have a leg to stand on when it comes to your decisions Andal” she explained, holding her knees to her chest. “You’re my friend, and I care about you a lot, but I don’t know you as well as those guys. I don’t have any sway in what you decide to do.”

Andal smiled, but his expression was turned down, sad. Divaria felt terrible that she couldn’t offer anything else except lame excuses. She lowered her legs and ran the palms of her hands across the frayed leather. 

“I’m not going to hate you” she said, “You’re doing an honourable thing, Andal, being caged sucks. If it’s anything that Cayde describes it, then it’d be a personal hell.” Divaria chuckled, trying to hide her discomfort, but Andal didn’t return the smile.

“The Hunter division is a mess” Andal said, poking the fire with a large stick. “When I made that stupid dare with Cayde, I thought I could step into the spot and make a difference. We haven’t had a steady leader in a long time. I could give us direction, you know, not be the jumbled mess we are at the moment.”

“I know you’ll do the right thing,” Divaria said, looking down and tracing swirls in the dirt. “The other guys will come around, I hope.”

“Nah” Andal sounded a little despondent. “Cayde’s taken this to heart. He’ll stew on it for years. I know Cayde almost better than anybody.” The pain was evident in his voice, but Andal kept his calm demeanour, even forcing a smile for Divaria.

“Andal-...” Divaria hesitated, drawing her fingers away from the dirt and hiding his hands in her lap. “Can-” she struggled with her words, her fear getting the better of her. “Can I ask you something?”

Despite having his own horde of personal problems, Andal looked up and lowered the stick, giving his full attention to Divaria. Showing just how much of a kind and caring man he was. 

“What’s bothering you, Div?” he asked. 

“Am I going to get separated from the crew?” Divaria said, blurting out what had been festering for days. “I’m scared that you’re going to send me away and force me to work with someone else because I don’t want to. I want-...”

“I did think that Saint was punching above his weight when he first put you with us” Andal said, telling Divaria the truth. “You’re a rookie, getting put up against vets like us, it was...ambitious.” He clapped his hands together, chuckling. “But, I’d say it worked out. You took us by surprise Div, the guys they really like you.”

“Cayde maybe,” Divaria said, hugging her knees. “Shiro, definitely not.”

“Believe it or not, Shiro cares,” Andal said, laughing at Divaria’s surprise. “You just got to get to know him. Speak his language, he’s a good guy. Don’t write him off yet. But no-...” Andal leant forward and smiled reassuringly. 

“You can stay with them Div” he said, “Unless you want to get moved. I’m not going to force you away. You’re a fast learner, and you put yourself in stupid situations, just like Cayde. Those idiots will need someone after I’m gone.”

Divaria’s shoulder slumped with sadness at the statement. Not having Andal, it was going to be a shock, and she’d only worked with him for several weeks. No wonder Cayde and Shiro were as upset as they were. It was going to hurt.

“We’re going to miss you,” Divaria said, eyes turning down from the fire.

“Traveler’s light” Andal laughed at the statement, “You guys are carrying as if I’m going to die. I’ll be in the Tower, I’m not going anywhere.” His laughter didn’t elicit a smile from Divaria though, who only hid her face in response.

Divaria’s entry in her journal later that night wasn’t a happy one. She made a note to express her sorrow. Going back to the Tower to become the Hunter Vanguard was ultimately Andal’s decision, no matter how Cayde argued and fought, Andal was a man of his word. 

Caged, Cayde’s direct word. He said it was the same as clipping a bird's wings so they couldn’t fly. So unless it was official Vanguard business, Andal was going to be stuck up there for an indefinite amount of time. His time with them was up.

Divaria doodled a small picture of a cage under her passage in her journal with a bird inside. The guys had rubbed off on her more than she thought. Their anxieties and their hatred of the City were passed onto her, and Divaria dreaded going back.


	7. Andal, The Hunter Vanguard

“Look what I found!”

Shiro shied back from the flash of Divaria’s newly found polaroid camera as she leapt into the bar, late that night after they returned to the Tower. Shiro smacked Divaria away as she jumped into the booth beside him and Cayde reached forward enthusiastically, grabbing the photo.

“Where’d you find this!?” Cayde asked, holding up the photo of Shiro’s surprised face. “I haven’t seen one of these in years.”

“I found it in one of those charity stores,” Divaria said, holding up the camera and snapping another photo of Cayde. “It only cost me twenty glimmer. Quite a bargain if you ask me. I’m going to have so much fun with this.”

“Fantastic” Shiro groaned, taking a deep drink from his mug. He didn’t share Divaria’s excitement about her find. But Divaria was able to ignore him, as she held the picture of Cayde and grinned at it. 

“I can put these in my journal” she explained, lowering the camera as Cayde poured her a mug of beer, sliding it towards her. “It’ll be nice to have a picture to remember by. I can look back at these years and years from now and reminisce.”

“Can’t fault you on that” Cayde said, agreeing with the sentiment. The three drank their drink in silence for the next couple of minutes. Divaria slid into the booth beside Cayde, he poured another glass then looked at the other two hunters sitting either side of him. 

“There’s going to be a party up at the Tower” he said, piquing Divaria’s interest, “Y’know, for Andal becoming the Hunter Vanguard. He’s asked us to come, said it’d be boring otherwise.” Cayde didn’t sound as enthused, as usual, he flicked the glass with his fingers, his blue optics turning down. 

“Are you going to go?” Shiro asked, putting his glass down and regarding his friend and mentor. “You haven’t exactly spoken to Andal since he started up there.”

Cayde pondered the question for a long moment, then took another swig of his drink. “I don’t want to,” he said, his voice conflicted, “But Andal is my friend, my brother. I should show some modicum of respect towards him and his choices.” 

He looked at Divaria who had looked away at the change of tone of the conversation. She didn’t have enough sway in the crew to input her opinion. Cayde and Shiro had both been hurting since Andal’s departure, so she had been leaving them to their own devices. 

“How about you Divvy?” Cayde asked her, “You going to go?”

Divaria looked back at him with surprised grey eyes; she thrummed her fingers against her glass with the sudden attention of her friends on her.

“O-oh” she stammered, there was no point lying, so Divaria told the truth. “Well, I guess I will go” she said, not missing the way Shiro flickered his optics. “Andal’s my friend, you know. I’ll go up there and support him the best I can. He’s up there, alone and working with all those Vanguard Leaders now. He’ll probably be relieved to have some familiar faces up there.”

It was like flicking a switch, Cayde sighed dramatically and pushed his glass around the table. “I hate when you speak sense” he said to Divaria, “Now I’ll feel bad if I don’t go.” There was the distinct feeling that Cayde was trying his best to lighten to sullen mood at the table, but it wasn’t working as well as he’d hoped

“Well, let’s make the most of it then” Shiro said, his voice solemn. “We can worry about it when the time comes.”

“Well” Cayde was sheepish, “The parties tomorrow night. I forgot to tell you.”

Shiro nearly spat out his drink, as he and Divaria sent him wide eyes glances. “Tomorrow?” he said in surprise, “Why didn’t you tell us earlier!? I’m nowhere near mentally ready to go to the Tower.”

“I miss Andal already” Divaria sighed, “Hate to say it Cayde, but your memory is shocking. We’re not going to get anything done around here.” She took a drink and chuckled when Shiro finally seemed to agree with one of her statements. 

Cayde waved them away with a noise of indignation, but the humour crept back into his voice. The sour feeling at the table slowly began to dissipate as the three friends began to laugh and joke about Cayde and his poor management skills.

Things weren’t so bad after all. Maybe, things would start to rectify themselves, and hopefully, Cayde and Shiro will begin to forgive Andal.

***

Divaria’s hopes of having Cayde and Shiro lighten up for the party was short-lived. The night after their pity party at the Rose, the trio stood in the Tower courtyard gazing up at the lines of decorations and lights. 

Still relatively new to the Tower, Divaria didn’t know a great deal of the people who came to Andal’s party, celebrating his decision to become the Hunter Vanguard. There were a lot of unfamiliar faces, so Divaria stuck back and lingered with Cayde and Shiro, both unhappy with the turn of events. 

Cayde waved and motioned to several Guardians that passed them, steering his tiny entourage towards a large circle of seats surrounding a recessed part of the floor filled with ice and drinks.

“Andal should be happy that we even came to this party” Shiro griped about the situation, throwing himself down into the seats, Cayde did the same, flinging his head back and gazing at the starry sky above them.

“This is my fault” Cayde sank in the lounge and banged his head back as the music and the party went on around them. “If I didn’t make that stupid dare, Andal wouldn’t be caged, stuck up here with these blithering idiots.”

“Andal said it wouldn’t be a bad thing,” Divaria said, bouncing her knee and watching the gaggle of Guardian’s in the large courtyard, talking and laughing and overall partying. “He thought that with his input, he could get the other Vanguard leaders to relax the regulations a bit.”

“Well he lied to you” Shiro said, his voice sour and folding his arms across his chest. “Div, you’re young and naive, Andal will say anything to make you feel better. We’ve known him a lot longer than you have and you don’t understand just how much his absence will hurt us.”

“Bloody sell-out” he whispered under his breath.

Divaria hesitated, as she looked up she saw Andal look away from their corner of doom and gloom. His expression was pained behind the smile, and Divaria could only imagine how he was feeling after all of this, especially knowing how unhappy Cayde and Shiro were about the whole ordeal. 

Andal smiled at Divaria, holding up a glass of whisky and motioning her over with a gesture of his chin. She pondered the thought briefly, looking back to Cayde and Shiro both sour as they picked through the selection of drinks.

“Well, you guys can do that,” she said, coming to a decision. She smacked Cayde’s knee and smiled at him with reassurance. “I’m going to enjoy the party, no matter how crappy the situation behind it is.”

“You’re just going to go be a little suck-up to Andal” Shiro said, sitting back and cracking the lid to his drink. “I see right through you Div.” The Exo came off as crass and condescending, but Divaria had travelled with him long enough to recognise the sly undertone in his voice, he was starting to joke with her. 

“Shush you” Divaria said with a cheeky smile. She stood up and dusted down her pants in habit and stepped past her friend. As she escaped the seats, Divaria turned around and brandished her bag with the polaroid camera inside. “I’ll be taking pictures all night” she informed them, “Try and at least smile for some of the pictures.”

“Let me drink a bit first” Cayde said, his eyes turning back to Andal standing in the far corner watching them. “I’ll need to be a bit drunker to be dealing with these boorish people.” Judging by Cayde’s tone, people meant Andal. 

“I’m sure he’s glad that you both came” Divaria said, “Shows that you guys care. Probably means a lot to him.” She stepped back and motioned to her friends, and Cayde waved her away, his voice a mixture between irritated and amused. 

“You start acting any more thoughtful or reflective, I’ll send you away to study with the warlocks. Us hunters tend to not look into things too deeply, you know!” he called after her, ignoring the curious stares other Guardian’s sent them.

With a chuckle, Divaria made her way to Andal who took the opportunity to speak to the Guardian’s standing in front of him. He gestured the glass to Divaria as she came closer, and Andal took the chance to duck away, his expression one of relief. 

“Thank the traveller you came,” he said, “I was afraid I was going to be stuck there speaking to those people rambling on for the rest of the night.” Andal ushered Divaria away from the small congregation of higher up Guardian’s trying to find somewhere they wouldn’t get ambushed. 

“How are the guys?” he asked, as they came to stand against the railing at the end of the courtyard, “Is it safe to come over yet? Or are they still seething at me for joining the Vanguard?”

“I’d give it a little more time” Divaria said, looking down and rummaging through her bag and withdrawing the camera. “Cayde needs a couple more drinks before he’ll start acting a little more reasonable.”

Andal raised a brow as Divaria held up the camera triumphantly, grinning over her shoulder at him. She held it up above them and snapped a picture. The photo emerged, and Divaria lowered the camera chuckling. 

“I have driven the guys mad with this thing” she said with a laugh, “Shiro’s already threatened to break it. But I think he only said that because of how unflattering he looks in all the photographs.” 

Divaria shook the photo, letting it dry and develop. Then she held it up, and Andal chuckled at the picture of them both. She was determined to take as many photos as she could, the more, the better. She wanted to look back on this sometime in the future and remember just how good these times were.

“Let’s go have some fun” Divaria nudged Andal and gestured to the rest of the party. “I’m sure time will go fast and hopefully, the guys will be drunk enough to be good around. Putting her camera away, Divaria pulled on Andal’s arm and together they disappeared off into the crowd to find someone else to annoy.

It was later that night when the party was in full swing that Divaria encouraged Andal to come over to the drink pit where Cayde and Shiro had mostly hogged all the alcohol and spirits from the other Guardians.

“It’s about time you came back,” Cayde said as Andal and Divaria sat down beside them. He twirled a finger around in his drink, and Andal rolled his eyes at the false bravado that Cayde was trying to put on, to hide his obvious hurt.

“You can’t be this surly forever” Divaria remarked, sitting back against the chair and crossing one leg over the other. She raised a brow at Cayde, and he gazed back at her, their eyes locking. 

“Watch me” he said, taking the challenge much to Andal’s awkwardness and growing discomfort. 

“If anyone’s acting like a dick right now, it’s you,” Shiro said to Cayde, taking Andal’s side for the first time. The yellow Exo sat back, peering behind Divaria’s head to look at his friend. “Sorry” he said, “Didn’t think Cayde was still this sober.”

“I get it” Andal said, holding up a hand and trying to stop the rising awkwardness between the friends and the crew. “You guys are angry that I joined the Vanguard. But you guys are still some of the most important to me, my friends, family even. I wanted to do some good, to help.”

“You gotta help a helluva lot to get me to forgive you” Cayde said with a shrug of his shoulders. “It was just a stupid dare; you didn’t have to take my word on it. The Vanguard is notorious for doing- you know, nothing.”

Behind the hunters, the tempo of the music changed, and the ambience began to fluctuate with the celebrating Guardians. Many of them got to their feet and began to dance, hunters mainly, but with the odd, spatter of titans and warlocks joined in. 

“I’ll try and change it” Andal said with a confident smile, “C’mon, won’t it be nice having eyes on the inside? I’ll be able to give tips and directions to all kinds of caches and treasure. You guys can help rake it in.”

Andal was trying to get back in the good graces of Cayde and Shiro, and with the statement, he had both their attention. Their eyes shone with anticipation and greed, and Divaria squirmed uncomfortably.

“Wouldn’t you get into trouble?” she asked with hesitance, looking up Andal’s scruffy and unkempt face. “You’ll be showing favouritism. We can get caught and-”

“You’re overthinking it, Div” Shiro said, “Now shut your mouth, Andal’s got a point. He can help us out. It’s a dog eat dog world out there, anything that can help us get ahead, we take it.” Cayde held out a hand and directed it at Andal.

“You gotta deal” he said, “You plant your arse in that ivory toilet seat up there, then feed us the info. We’ll get the work done, bring back whatever is left? How does that sound?”  
It was an act made out of greed on Cayde’s part, and desperation on Andal’s. But the new hunter vanguard agreed, reaching out and grasping Cayde’s hand and shaking it.

After the deal Andal put forward, Cayde relaxed considerably. His attitude improved, and then within a short time, he and Andal were joking around just as they did before the whole dare. Divaria watched the scene with a guilty conscience, unable to shake the feelings. 

Andal wanted his friends, his crew, and offered the one thing that he knew Cayde and Shiro would take over anything else. He was feeding their greed and their lust for treasure and weapons. 

No matter how awful Divaria felt, however, having Cayde and Shiro speaking to Andal was a touching scene. None of them had been the same since Andal had come to the Tower, but now, seeing them as they were, it brought a smile to Divaria’s face.

“Here’s a sight to behold” Shiro said, breaking the conversation and drawing everyone’s attention to the entrance of the courtyard. “Never see those guys together anymore, let alone come to something like this.”

Crowds of Guardian’s parted and were surprised at the arrival of the Speaker, Saint-14 and Osiris. The current Vanguard Commander had made himself scarce in the outbreak of the prophecy scandals, and his relationship with the Speaker wasn’t on good terms.

“I gotta take a photo of this,” Divaria said, dropping her glass and scrambling for her camera. “People will never believe this unless I have proof. To think that Osiris would bring himself down enough to mingle with us, common Guardians.”

“Common” Cayde snorted, “Saint’s bearable, can’t say the same about Osiris though. You can tell he looks down on a lot of us, hunters especially. It’s going to take a miracle Guardian to blow him away.” 

“And I gotta work with him” Andal said, his face pale at the revelation. “Guy goes on about the Vex, thinks it more dangerous than the Fallen or anything else that’s breathing down our necks.” 

They watched the Speaker get surrounded by Guardian’s, Osiris and his Ghost Sagira stepped back to make a berth and Saint broke away, scanning the crowd and trying to find someone of interest. When his head turned towards the pit, he came striding towards them.

“Here we go” Shiro said, “Prepare yourself, Andal, he might challenge you to a duel. He’s been salty ever since Cayde killed Taniks, something about kissing boots and Titans being the best.”

Divaria shrank down at the statement, sheepish that the guys never found out that is was her that made the stupid bet with Saint. A Titan and his wounded pride was nothing to laugh at. Saint had been relentless, trying to prove how much better he was.

“Andal Brask” Saint’s voice boomed across the courtyard, momentarily silencing the music, “Congratulations, becoming the hunter Vanguard. You will do well in that position.”

Andal got to his feet to be polite, putting his glass down and shaking Saint’s massive hand. “Thanks he said with a smile, scratching the side of his hood nervously. “I have my work cut out for me” he said, “Lots of Hunters to bring into line and work to sift through.”

“You will do well,” Saint said with a loud laugh, “I know what work you will do. I do not envy you. It’s why I got out to hunt the Fallen.” Saint smacked Andal on the shoulder, and Andal visibly winced, his knees buckling at the force behind Saint’s friendly gesture.

Divaria snapped a picture of the scene, the flash drew Saint’s attention, and he gazed down at Divaria and the camera in her hands.  
“Little bird” he said with an amused laugh, his accent rolling and thick. “Where did you find something like that?”

“Don’t encourage her, Saint,” Shiro said gazing up at the Titan looming over him. “She’s been playing with it and taking photos with it for days. Trying to get her to stop, but she never listens.”

“I love it!” Saint declared, holding out his hands to Divaria as she hopped up the stairs with a beaming smile on her face. She bounced on her tiptoes and turned the lens towards her and Saint, snapping a picture. 

“I collect the pictures” Divaria explained, taking the polaroid and shaking it dry. “Just like how you collect these ribbon things.” She thumbed in the direction of the splatter of purple across Saint’s cuirass. “It will help me remember.”

“You will treasure them, I’m sure,” Saint said, his voice fond over Divaria’s sentiments. “Hold them close and never let them go.” The pair of them looked back to the pit where Cayde poured himself another glass, putting his feet up on the table, he held it out in front of him.

“Divaria always said that you guys were friends, never thought you guys were this good a friend, I didn’t take her seriously until now. Looks like you do have your eye on our little Divvy, Saint. What’s the go?”  
“You thought I was lying?” Divaria said, scoffing at Cayde as she handed her camera back down to Andal so he could put it back in her bag. “Gee thanks Cayde, you’re a true friend.”

Cayde gave her a thumbs up in response, and the hunters’ antics amused Saint. He was an old Guardian, but he never had friendships that were so casual and friendly, it was intriguing and somewhat exhilarating after a whole second lifetime working alone.

Behind them, the music changed again, and the lights went bright, flashing and pulsating around the courtyard. Saint glanced once at Divaria, her on the dancefloor for the briefest of moments before he grabbed her hand. 

“Come” he said, “Let’s dance.”

“Eh what?” Divaria stared wide-eyed at the old captain, hardly believing what he’d just said. “You’re serious?” she asked with shock and surprise.

“Of course I am” Saint said, amused at Divaria bewildered expression, his hand crushed hers, and he pulled her forward towards the dancefloor, parting the wave of Guardians like the Red Sea.

“That guy is truly a loose cannon” Andal said, swirling his glass and watching Divaria get yanked around by the much larger, and clumsier Saint-14. “The guys a hero, yet he seems to be amongst some of the loneliest I’ve seen. Everyone respects him, doesn’t mean they hang around.”

“Well if he keeps that up, I’m sure he’ll be scaring Divaria away as well” Shiro said looking back to the table and placing his arm across the top of the seat. “Have you heard some of the bizarre stories he spurts out? Guys insane.”

“It’ll take a lot to scare Divvy away,” Cayde said watching the Divaria interact with Saint, her face finally turned up into a smile as she danced. “Don’t know what it is, but there’s something different about her. I think Saint sees that as well, he wouldn’t have latched onto her otherwise.”

“Don’t go thinking up grand schemes to be throwing her into just yet” Andal warned, “She’s still a rookie, and her Ghost still needs to learn the ropes. They’re a new team, and they still have a lot of training to do.”

Andal stroked his beard and looked back to his old crew, his face turning up into a grin that stretched across his face, “Luckily for her, I think I have the perfect mission to send her on.”


	8. Shiro's Burden

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Trigger warning for some racism at the end of the chapter* 
> 
> Thanks for the comments, its much appreciated and always brightens my day. :)

“C’mon Cayde; it’s been months now. You gotta give Andal a break. He’s trying his best up there.” Divaria swung down from the tree branch, hanging by her legs as she snapped a polaroid of Cayde and Shiro in the campsite.

Divaria dropped to her feet and grabbed the photo and shook it, getting it to dry. Cayde scoffed, dismissing her with a wave of his hand. “I don’t care how hard he works up there” he said, “It doesn’t belay the fact that he’s a bloody sell-out. The tower has a Hunter Vanguard now, and they’ve still managed to do nothing.”

“Gotta give it to him though,” Shiro lowered the blueprint to a new frame and gestured a finger to the cache standing open in front of them. “These early access caches and interceptions are a sweet deal. We can make a fortune skimming off the top of them all.”

“Not to mention that Andal’s managed to loosen the chokehold the Consensus has on the Hunter division” Stasi said, blinking his yellow eyes back to Cayde and Divaria. “Isn’t it a nice feeling not having them breathing down our necks?”

Divaria held out the photo and admired the picture of her friends before, holding up the camera and the polaroid. Echo floated around her head, his shell twirling as he put them back into internal storage.

There was no denying that Andal’s inside information about caches and loot was a blessing in disguise. But it still didn’t stop Divaria from feeling dirty every time they found one, to crack it open and take a peek inside. 

Cayde approached the open chest and knelt in front of it, rummaging through the items inside. He tossed aside several maps and pulled out a leather kit, untying it briefly and having a glance inside. 

“Div.”

Divaria looked up and caught the kit in her hand, whatever was inside rattled and made an awful grinding sound. She peeked inside, mimicking Cayde’s actions, a smile curled to the ends of her face as she saw the gleam of knives inside. A repair kit.

“Bet it’s one of those fancy ones you wanted to buy” Cayde said, slamming the lid closed and picking up his maps. “You’ll be able to fix that blade of yours. It’s only been gettin’ worse.”

Cayde wasn’t wrong, Divaria’s knife had taken significant wear since she started actively using it. It was an old knife in desperate need of repair and cleaning, something she planned on doing the next time she was able to sit down with it.

“Besides that, how’s your job going solo?” Cayde asked, “Heard Andal’s got you zinging around the wall. Having fun with that?” The change in topic was a little surprising, and Divaria looked back up to him, sensing Echo hovering over her shoulder. 

“Oh” she clutched the knives close, “Yeah, it’s ok,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “It was a little daunting at first, going out by myself. But Echo’s helped me out. I think we’re getting somewhere with it.”

“Little Divvy’s growing up” Cayde said with mock sadness, “I’m so proud.”

Divaria laughed and waved him away, “You’re such an arse sometimes you know? But I’m glad-” she got to her feet and stepped away, “I got to stay with you guys because of Andal. Who knows where I could have been sent if the Consensus and the Vanguard were still in charge of us.”

Shiro scoffed and flickered his optics, “Who cares what they think. Everyone already thinks pretty low of the Guardians because of the whole Prophecy fiasco. No one has done nothing but argue for months. The Speakers up against the wall with it.”

“Speaking of which” Cayde said, rolling up the maps and getting Sundance to transmat them away. “I’m not looking forward to getting back to the city. I hate the drama, and I don’t exactly wanna look Andal in the eye.”

“Don’t worry,” Divaria said, carefully rolling the leather flap back over the tools. “I’ll do the reports and hand them in to the Vanguard. You can slack off in the hangar while I deal with that, Andal will wanna know how my solo missions have been going as well.”

“You’re such a sucker,” Shiro said, both he and Stasi gazing at Divaria. “Keep acting like that, and they might actually take a liking to you. Then you will be caged in the city, unable to leave and acting like a small lap dog.”

“That’s what you’re afraid of” Divaria said, as Echo took away the small pile of her items from the cache. “Stop projecting your thoughts and fears onto me. I just might come as unlikeable as you are.”

“That’s uncalled for” Shiro said, making a cross above his proverbial heart and feigning a look of hurt. “Too bad, your opinion doesn’t matter.” 

Divaria stuck out her tongue, and the pair gave each other a look of disdain before Cayde got to his feet and stood between the squabbling pair, reaching out and putting a hand on either of their heads. 

“Now, now” he said, “Stop fighting kids. We have work to do before we head back to the tower. I gotta hit some caches up on our way home, get some stuff while I plan for our next big heist.” 

Cayde’s voice rose several octaves, excited about his devious plans resulting in both Divaria and Shiro rolling their eyes at their comrade. They disagreed on a lot and for the most part, didn’t get along as well as they should, but at least they both agreed on one thing when it concerned Cayde and his actions and plans.

“Come on” Shiro shook his head and dislodged Cayde’s hand, he got to his feet, and Cayde helped Divaria to hers. “We can’t stop this procrastinating any more, Andal’s expecting us back at the tower. He needs those reports.”

* * *

“I’m sorry about the guys Andal; it’s hard enough getting them to come back to the tower, let alone come up here. But, at least they did their reports-sort of.” Divaria put the datapads on Andal’s work desk, as he looked up from the mess of gadgets, and datapads. 

In the months since taking the gig of Hunter Vanguard, Andal was run off his feet with stacks of work and a swathe of new responsibility trying to govern the crazy and reckless hunter sector. Divaria wanted to help him the best she could, even if it meant writing out and documenting her work and on top of that, Cayde and Shiro’s as well.

Andal was her friend, and she admired him a lot for his calm disposition and kindness. But as she lowered the pads and he sent her a crooked tooth smile, Divaria had Shiro’s voice whisper at the back of her mind. 

_ ‘You will be caged in the city.’ _

“You’re a sight for sore eyes” Andal said, throwing down his datapad and leaning back in his chair. “How’d your mission go? Get anything good?” Strain coated Andal’s voice, the corners of his mouth turned down as he forced a smile. 

“Eh, it was ok” Divaria shrugged her shoulders, trying to downplay how exciting and enjoyable it was. Andal was missing the outdoors and being with the crew and his friends, Divaria didn’t want to make him feel worse than what he already was. 

She folded her hands on the small of her back and stepped back, watching Andal as he scanned the first page of her report. His eyes turned back up to her, and Divaria offered him a sheepish grin in return. 

“You don’t have to lie to me” he said, putting the datapad back down on the table and putting one hand underneath his chin to support his head. He was tired, and the dismay was etching into his features. “I’m a big boy” he said, chuckling slightly “I’m not like Cayde and his temper tantrums.”

Andal knew Divaria better than she had anticipated, that and she wasn’t even a very good liar, to begin with. He’d often called her an open book, her face giving away what she felt inside. Getting called out the way she did, Divaria felt guilty. 

“I just wanted to make you feel better,” she said, scuffing the toes of her boots on the worn rug in front of Andal’s messy desk. “It’s different without you out there with us, kinda lonely as well. Cayde’s gone off the rails a little bit.”

“Yeah I figured” Andal said, “I’ve noticed the trend of his reports sounding a bit like you. I haven’t seen him since the party, and Sundance takes almost all his calls. Shiro’s a little bearable, but man, Stasi is a surly ghost. I’ve never noticed until I was the one at the receiving end.”

Dismayed with the turn of the conversation, Divaria lowered her eyes and gazed at her boots. She’d done her best to try and rectify the issues with the men, but it was all in vain. It was their business, and she had no point in trying to interfere, all she could do was show Andal that she was still his friend and no matter what he did. She’d agree and stand by him and his decisions.

Sensing the rising awkwardness in the room, Andal changed the subject and kicked back in his chair, sitting back and put his boots on the edge of the desk. He sent a stack of datapads to the carpet, not that he cared, he grinned at Divaria chuckling as Echo coalesced over her shoulder. 

“How are you two going on your missions anyway? Read some interesting things in your reports about the Fallen. It seems like you two are getting better at working as a team as well. I’m proud of you.”

Divaria couldn’t help but swell in pride at the praise, and she raised her head, her cheeks reddening with excitement. Unable to contain the enthusiasm that spilled from her in waves. “I know you guys have mostly told me to shoot first and ask questions later” she said, “But I’ve been learning some interesting things about them. I’ve followed them back to camps and observed them, I’ve written it in some of my reports.”

Divaria lifted a finger and pointed to the small stack beside Andal to emphasise her point. “I was going to come up here and ask if you could send me on more scouting missions when it comes to the Fallen, working with the guys is awesome, but Cayde tends to kill them all before I can get a chance.”

“Well, I’m glad you say that” Andal said, his mouth turning up into a smile, pleased with Divaria will to drive forward and learn more about the advancing threat of the Fallen. “I’ve got a couple of covert jobs for you, I was gonna send them out to some more experienced hunters, but if you think you can handle it, I’ll be willing to give you a chance.”

Divaria was thrilled with the chance of getting extended, she jumped on the spot and clapped her hands giddily. “I can do it!” she said, her eyes gleaming with a light of determination. 

“These extra jobs are doing well for us” Echo said, agreeing with his Guardian’s enthusiasm. “It’s nice to see that your influence in the Vanguard has started to show. Cayde and Shiro like the advanced opportunities to escape the walls and the city as well.”

“Yeah, well I’m getting there” Andal said with a groan, his expression turning down and showing how tired he was. “Working up here’s harder than I anticipated, hard-headed idiots, the lot of them. Don’t even get me started on the Speaker and the damned Consensus. They’ve twisted my arm on what I should do with the Hunter sector, half the things I bring up get rejected before I even get the chance to explain myself.”

“If anyone gets the Consensus to listen, it’s you,” Divaria said, as she folded her arms across her chest and cocked her head against her shoulder. “After all, you can get  _ Cayde  _ of all people to listen to you. As stubborn as he is, he’s only ever followed your direction. Shiro as well.”

The friends shared a smile, and Andal’s expression lightened a fraction before sweeping his eyes over the stack of work still yet to get finished. “I’ve got to get some of this done” he said, gesturing to it with a jutting chin. “You and the guys heading into the city tonight? I’m sure I can squeeze some time in and do some catching up.”

Divaria was taken aback with the statement, considering Andal hadn’t been able to get off in weeks. The one night that she and the others had plans to separate and do their own thing. “Not sure about the guys” she said, with a shrug. “Cayde said he wanted to get some supplies before he starts planning his next trip, and I was actually going to head out and find Saint. We were going to go birdwatching on the southern border.”

“Birdwatching with scatterbrained Saint-14?” Andal asked, his interest piqued at the revelation. “There isn’t something going on with you two is there?  _ Birdwatching _ ?” Andal was incredulous at the absurdity of it, thinking Divaria was jesting with him.

“I’m not lying!” Divaria protested, “But seriously, nothing is going on. Saint and I are just friends. He’s funny and easy to talk to. Knows a hella lot about birds as well, dude’s like a walking dictionary on ornithology.”

Divaria snapped her fingers and winked at a laughing Andal. “Taught me that fancy word as well.” The smaller Hunter stepped back towards the door, intending to leave the office and escape to the tower beyond. 

“Happy to take a raincheck though” she said, making sure she wouldn’t be hurting Andal’s feelings for blowing him off for Saint. She paused in the doorway, unintentionally holding her breath for the answer. Divaria exhaled quietly when Andal waved her off, unperturbed by the statement. 

“Go out and have fun” he said, “Go watch birds-be  _ birds _ ” he said, unsure of what to say in response to the activity. “I’m sure I’ll get to catch up with you sooner or later, especially when it comes to those missions I’ll send through. Echo will brief you on the details.”

Divaria lifted her hand and gave him a two-fingered salute and left the doorway, leaving Andal alone at his desk. The older Guardian smiled, his face turning down once Divaria left. He exchanged one look with his silent Ghost hovering over his shoulder then back to the concerning datapad in front of him.

Andal sighed at the sight of another rejected notion, getting the Consensus to loosen the ties on the Vanguard and the Hunters were proving more difficult than initially thought. Now there was the issue with Osiris, the Vanguard Commander. 

He’d lied to Divaria that he was going to give his recon missions to more experienced Guardians, but in truth, no one was left. Osiris had scattered Guardians across the system and squandering supplies and manpower, leaving the city and the wall unguarded against the threat of the Fallen.

Andal had heard of the Vex but hadn’t seen one, yet Osiris preached the end like the gospel. It was hard to believe in an enemy when hardly anyone, but he saw them. He hated the idea of sending Divaria out by herself since she was still so new, but he had no choice.

Andal had underestimated how hard the Vanguard spot was, no wonder nothing ever got done. He’d been better off being naive and ignorant of the threats that loomed above them every day. Still, he clung to the hope that he could make a difference. He had to try.

* * *

Divaria left the offices humming, the tower was alight and buzzing with activity as she approached the top. The sun shone down on her, the music was loud, and Guardians talked and laughed in large groups in all ends of the area.

She checked the time in her internal feed, and Echo zoomed ahead, his metal petals whirled and spun around his lucent, blue eye. “We’ll have to take the shuttle from Central,” he said, checking the directions and the easiest way to get to the southern region of the wall. “If we leave now, we’ll beat the lunchtime rush and avoid most of the arrogant Consensus representatives. It will give us plenty of time to get to the meeting spot, in case Saint flies in early.”

“Well let’s go then,” Divaria said to her Ghost, She raised her hand and splayed her fingers. Echo responded with a bump of his geometric shell in their version of a high-five. 

Together they moved off across the crowded plaza and towards the gargantuan flights of concrete stairs that led down into the city to catch the smaller tram that went back and forth between the wall and the inner city.

The day was good, and Divaria was elated with the change of direction. Andal was trusting her with more challenging missions, which the alluring pull of loot and glimmer urged her forward. The sooner she pushed out of the rank of being a rookie, the better. 

The city was filled and crowded with civilians when Divaria made her way into the central plaza. Andal called it the Core District, the heart of the city, and directly nestled in the shadow of the Traveler. 

Large flags emblazoned with the Dead Orbit insignia fluttered over Divaria’s head as she approached the inner district. Echo led the way, taking her towards the station so they could catch the shuttle. Civilians, frames and kiosks hummed and moved past her, the noise and the light blending into one droning sound. 

Before reaching the station, however, there was a sudden racket of noise. Scuffling and yelling came from behind the brick building, muted thuds and clattering items hitting the cobblestone. Divaria and Echo shared a glance before she moved forward, determined to see what was happening. 

There was a small congregation of shabbily dressed locals, four of them surrounding one lone person in the middle. As Divaria came closer, there was a flash of a familiar coloured cape and a voice that made her blood run cold in her veins.

The locals parted just as a larger man at the front landed an uppercut on their targets jaw, a teal coloured liquid spattered on the concrete at their feet. Divaria moved forward with anger, hands clenched into fists as she pushed them away. 

“Back off” she shouted, thrusting her hands forward and catching the larger man at the front. Her fingers curled in the collar of his shirt, Divaria tossed him effortlessly across the sidewalk, away from the target. “What the hell do you think you guys are doing?” she shouted, her voice furious.

“Div,” Shiro looked up as he flicked the coolant liquid from his fingers, more dripped from the crack in his face. “You gotta stop, please.”

“Lookie here” a man to Divaria side snarled, lips parted over a row of crooked, yellow teeth. “The hunk of junk got himself a friend. How cute.” The group closed in again, cooping Divaria up against Shiro, they leered at her with chuckles and smirks of loathing.

“Leave her out of this!” Shiro shouted, standing straight. His hands clapped down on Divaria’s shoulders, and he pushed her behind him. “You guys have an issue with me. Go ahead, take it out.”

Divaria was confused, she wanted an answer, but before she spoke. Echo lowered close to her face and told her to be quiet. They looked over her shoulder where a congregation of Consensus Guards stood, guns in hand. 

They were locals, humans that defended the building and those inside. They simply stood by and merely watched the fight play out of the corner of their eyes. They were letting it happen, and it infuriated Divaria more. 

“Anyone who stands up for junk like you is just as bad” a man spat at Shiro, the wad of spit hitting him in the cheek. “It’s wrong to let  _ things  _ like you into our home. Guardian or not, you’re still a filthy Exo. Get the hell out of the city.”

“Shiro” Divaria looked up at the yellow Exo standing above her. No matter how many insults were hurled at his way, Shiro didn’t falter. He took them all in, his eyes downcast. But when a hand reached out and grabbed Divaria by the hair, was when he moved. 

“I told you to leave her alone,” Shiro said, swinging his arm out and knocking a man off his feet and sent him sprawling to the ground. The moment Shiro bit back in defence of his comrade, the Guards from in front of the Consensus building rallied together and came rushing over, guns cocked and ready, aiming it at Shiro.

“What’s going on here?” the commander of the small group announced, his badge shone in the light. “Is this Exo causing you gentlemen trouble?” The men stood together, smiling and wiping down their clothes as Shiro ushered Divaria back, away from the worst of it.

“Jus’ showing our little robot friend that it’s against the rules to ride the trams” the larger man said, his knuckles still wet from the teal coolant that came from Shiro’s face. “The Guardian ones are especially thick; I gots to keep telling them.”

“Hey!” Divaria started to protest loudly when another guard reached forward and pulled Shiro forward, cuffing his hands behind his back. She waved her hands frantically and garnered the attention of the Guards. “He was defending me; those lechers started it.”

Divaria was angry at the situation folding out in front of her, Shiro getting arrested for self-defence when it was the group of four men that had started it. She was going to defend him, her cheeks red with frustration. “Why are you arresting him?”

Shiro got pushed forward, and Divaria jumped ahead, “I’m calling Andal” she said, “He can come and stop this shit. How dare you arrest an innocent-” she stopped dead in her tracks when Shiro gazed at her, his optic eyes glowing.

“Divaria!” Shiro said, his voice rough over his shoulder. “Don’t call Andal. Please. I know what I’m doing. Stay out of this; don’t get caught up in my mess. Don’t ruin your reputation because you wanted to taint it with me.”

Dumbfounded, Divaria watched as the Guards escorted Shiro towards the gleaming white Consensus Building. The four men that had initially beaten him stood straight and laughed. Proud of what they’d achieved. 

“Them Exos are dangerous” one said, “That’ll set him straight for tryin’ to give us cheek.”

“You guys are mongrels” Divaria said, swinging around to them her face flushed with anger. “Pea-brained idiots, the lot of you.” Echo tried to hush her, but the words flooded from Divaria’s mouth and she was unable to stop them.

The wind blew through the plaza, there was a buzzer and announcement from the station, the next tram moving in. It took a few seconds, but Divaria’s words eventually sank in, and the larger man frowned. 

“You’re just a Lil girl,” he said, “I’ll teach you to get lippy with me, brat.” He held out his hands, with his fingers held out like claws and the palms easily as big as Divaria’s face. The small Hunter jumped back and withdrew her starry knife, holding it out in front of her. 

“Come any further, and I’ll kick your arse so hard that your grandchildren will feel it.” Her threat was clear, and she had every intention to carry it out if any of the men decided to move forward. Fortunately for her, they shared an incredulous look and backed off. 

“Div, you’ll get arrested if you keep waving that thing around” Echo said, gazing around the plaza anxiously. “They’re not worth our time, we have other places to be. Come on, the trams coming.”

Divaria’s fingers held the hilt of her knife so hard that her knuckles turned white with exertion. “Not worth my time alright” she said, scowling at the men. “Pathetic waste buckets, already pissing your pants at the thought of facing off with a Guardian.”

She put the knife back on her leg, and the men stepped back, unsure of what to do. They broke apart as Divaria stormed forward, the air electric as she passed. The energy pulsed off her body and made the men’s hairs stand on end. 

As the pair left, Divaria made her way to the train station. She couldn’t comprehend what she’d just witnessed, it was unfair, and words couldn’t describe just how annoyed she truly was with the whole predicament. 

“What happened?” she asked Echo as they reached the station. “Why the hell would they want to pick on Shiro like that? What’s wrong with Exos? They don’t know him.”

“Something that you shouldn’t get embroiled with unless you want to be the one getting beat up as well.” A new, familiar voice joined them, and Divaria looked over her shoulder as Shiro’s Ghost approached them. His black petals bristled, and his yellow eye was glowing a little brighter as he came towards her, floating over her other shoulder, opposite Echo. 

“Stasi” Divaria said, surprised to see him considering that Shiro was probably in a holdup in the Consensus building. “What are-...?”

“This isn’t the first time it’s happened” Stasi said, “Exos like Shiro and Cayde get tormented all the time by people who hate who they are. No-fault of their own. It’s just a prejudiced story, and archaic thinking passed down from when the collapse happened.”

“That’s hardly fair” Divaria said, “Ugh, I feel like this is all my fault. He was trying to protect me from those maggots.” She let her face fall into her hands with an exasperated sigh, then lifted her head as the tram came to a stop on the tracks in front of them. 

“I should be up there at the building paying for his release or something” she said, “What kind of horrible teammate would I be if I let him get stuck in a holding cell. Echo, change of plans. Send Saint a message and say we aren’t -...”

“Shiro’d rather you wouldn’t” Stasi interrupted, halting the pair. “He knows what to do; you must mean a lot to him if he jumped in to help you in the first place. You’d be a good friend if you leave it up to him. Don’t get involved; trust me.”

Divaria was unsure, and she didn’t want Shiro to dislike her any more than what he did, but if Stasi, his  _ Ghost _ said not to come and interfere, then she was better off not going. For Shiro’s sake, she didn’t want him to get into more trouble.

“So why the hatred?” Divaria asked, their pair becoming a trio as Stasi decided to join them in their escapade to the southern border. “You said something about prejudice getting passed down? Help me understand.” They entered the mostly empty tram, and it rumbled to life, leaving the station. 

Stasi blinked up at her, his yellow spines shuddering with his palpable irritation. “Exos, especially those who survived the collapse, like many others, came together to try and survive in the aftermath. This was long before I found Shiro. I witnessed some things.”

Divaria sat on an empty seat under the window at the back of the carriage, as far away from the local pair sitting up the front. However, they sent her the occasional curious glance from the corners of their eyes. Watching the Guardian converse with two Ghosts.

“Cayde explained it,” Stasi said, “Something where Exos could dissociate from their metal bodies. I’ve never seen it happen to a Guardian Exo, but the civilian ones. Well, some lost their mind, and bad things happened. A lot of people in the city remember those incidents. They’re scared it could happen.”

“That’s awful” Echo said, he and Divaria shared a guilty glance and Stasi was nonchalant. His voice was emotionless as he recalled the bloody carnage he’d witnessed in the past. 

“People are scared” he said, “There are grandparents, even parents passing down stories of the Exo going insane and killing everyone. So then you have a new generation continuing the path of hatred and fear. That’s why they rally to have Exo pushed from the city. To be somewhere else if they lose their mind and disassociate again.”

“Not all of them” Divaria said, “Look at Saint, he’s a hero. I don’t think anybody would ever dare to say something to his face.” Stasi looked back at her, his eye blinking again and regarded Divaria with curiosity. Her insistence on surrounding herself with Exo almost unheard of.

“Have you ever seen Saint take off his helmet though?” Stasi asked, stumping Divaria. “He’s patient and incredibly tolerant of the hateful remarks and statements. But there’s a reason why he mostly works and lives alone.”

Divaria slumped down in her seat and watched the building whizz past her as the tram rumbled down the tracks. There was a metallic, bitter taste left in her mouth at the situation she’d just witnessed, and she’d been powerless to stop it. 

Both Saint and Shiro were her friends and Cayde as well. To think they’d all suffered such fear and hatred from those who they so fervently loved and protected. It was an awful feeling and Divaria hated feeling it.

The Traveler beamed high above her, shining a soft white light across the city, and Divaria lifted her eyes and watched it as they passed underneath it. She was going to bring it up to Saint when she saw him and wanted him to know that no matter what, she’d always have his back. That went for Shiro and Cayde as well.


End file.
